# Australian Permanent Resident Questions



## drfeelgood (Nov 27, 2019)

Dear friends,

I have PR in Australia and am considering applying for a better position [academic job, lecturing] that came up in NZ (Wellington). I do have two questions though.

Firstly, from what I see, Australian PRs can work and live in NZ indefinitely. Would this be true?

Secondly, how does it work for academic staff at NZ universities in terms of superannuation? In Australia my employer makes a 17% contribution towards my super. Would be a similar process be in place in NZ? Trying to suss this out but it is hard.

Cheers


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

Yes, a person holding AUS PR has the right to live and work in NZ indefinitely. On entry in to NZ, you would have to declare that your intention was to remain in NZ and as such you would be given an NZ Resident Visa at the border and that would carry an immediate expiry condition if you left the country (for any reason), however you could return by using your AUS PR status again to get another NZ RV, BUT this wouldn't last forever as once you leave AUS your AUS PR will expire after a 5 yr period. To prevent this issue you would have to satisfy the conditions of NZ PR and remain in NZ for a minimum 2yr period on the RV and then apply for PR.

In NZ we have a scheme called Kiwisaver and as such an employer would match your contributions (out of your salary) up to 4%. At the start of your employment you are asked what % of investment you want to pay in to Kiwisaver - 2, 3, 4 or 8% I think (it is mandatory for the first 3 months). After this you can opt out or change the provider, change the % investment etc.
This is not a superannuation scheme although there are superannuation schemes in NZ......I have investments in one called iSelect but unlikely any NZ employers pay in to anything else other than Kiwisaver. You certainly would not be getting anything like a 17% contribution from an employer, however they might offer other benefits like health care, life insurance etc.


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