Questions about NZ Superannuation?
If you are receiving New Zealand Superannuation whether you will continue to receive your payments, if you go overseas, depends on:
* how long you will be away, and
* if you meet the criteria for being "ordinarily resident" in Aotearoa New Zealand.
If you plan to be overseas for 26 weeks or less, your payments should continue as normal while you are away as long as you are "ordinarily resident" in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This means that:
* you intend to live primarily in New Zealand, and
* you consider New Zealand to be your home.
You may also be considered "ordinarily resident" if you live in, the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau, and any country New Zealand has a Social Security Agreement (SSA) with (except United Kingdom).
Your Winter Energy Payment will stop after 28 days:
Although your pension will be unaffected if you are away for less than 26 weeks, your Winter Energy Payment will stop after 28 days if you are away between 1 May and 1 October.
If you plan to be away for more than 28 days but less than 26 weeks between 1 May and 1 October, you need to let Work and Income know by calling them on 0800 552 002 or use their online form. Go to the online form to advise Work and Income of your travel dates:
services.workandincome.govt.nz...
Image and info credit: Citizens Advice Bureau NZ: www.cab.org.nz...
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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