Here is the news that I'm sure many of you have been waiting for: a new category of border exception has just come into effect allowing holders of Entrepreneur, Work to Residence and mid- or higher-skilled Essential Skills work visas to come home to New Zealand if they normally live in New Zealand and still have their business or job here.
This applies if you departed New Zealand between 1 December 2019 and 9 October 2020. It also applies if your visa expired while you were overseas and you have applied to renew it. You must have lived in New Zealand for at least 2 years and spent at least 273 days here in each of the two 12 month periods immediately preceding your departure date.
Partners and dependent children can be included if they currently hold or held, at the time of departing New Zealand, a visitor, work or student visa based on their relationship to the principal applicant. Any dependent children born after 1 December 2019 can also be included.
There are a lot of very particular criteria that need to be met in order to be eligible for this, so make sure to check your eligibility with an immigration adviser or lawyer first before applying.