New Zealand permanent residency

New Zealand Permanent Residents are residents of New Zealand, who hold a resident class visa (including both resident visas and permanent resident visas), which – superficially seen – makes them equal to New Zealand citizens. Both resident visas and permanent resident visas give the holders the permanent right to be in New Zealand. However, they have different travel conditions.

This article refers to the terms “resident” and “permanent resident” only in the scope of immigration purposes and describes the current situation based on the Immigration Act 2009. There are other definitions for residents in tax or electoral affairs.