Apply for NZ Super from Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau

The NZ High Commission will record your contact as your date of application.

How you contact them depends on which country you're in.

If you can't contact the NZ High Commission, you can email our International Services team in New Zealand: international_services@msd.govt.nz

Cook Islands

Contact New Zealand High Commission in Rarotonga or your outer-island administration office.

Niue

Contact New Zealand High Commission in Niue

Tokelau

Contact either the:

• New Zealand High Commission in Apia
• Deputy Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages of each atoll, or
• Faipule (Village Head) of each atoll.

You need to complete and sign an application form.

If you can't download and print this application form, ask the NZ High Commission in your country to send one to you. Their contact details are in Step 1.

The documents we need are listed below and on the application form.

Identification

You must provide:

• 1 type of government issued ID, and
• 2 types of secondary ID.

One of your identification documents must be at least 2 years old.

If you have a partner who's not getting NZ Superannuation or Veteran's Pension, you also need to provide identification documents for them.

Government issued ID

You need to provide one type of government issued identification that has your full legal name and your date of birth. For example:

• birth certificate
• passport
• drivers licence
• firearms licence
• deed poll.

If your name has changed, you need to provide your:

• marriage certificate
• deed poll, or
• other proof of the name change.

Secondary ID

You need to provide 2 documents that support your identity. For example:

• marriage certificate
• bank statement
• driver licence
• bill with your name on it.

Bank account number

You need to provide a bank statement or deposit slip showing the:

• account name
• account number
• bank logo.

If you write any of these details yourself, you need to get the bank to stamp and sign the statement or slip.

Living in the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau

One of the criteria you need to meet to get NZ Super is that you must have lived in NZ for a certain amount of time. This is between 10 and 20 years, depending on your date of birth.

Of those 10-20 years, you need to have lived in NZ for at least 10 years since you turned 20. For the rest of the years, you can include time you've spent living in a NZ realm country. That is the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau

You may be using the time you lived in the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau to qualify for this payment. If this is the case, you need to provide proof that you were resident and physically present in that country. You can get this from the Customs or Immigration offices in those countries.

Ask us if you need help with this.

Where you return the form and all the documents we need depends on which country you're in.

Cook Islands

Take your form and documents to either:

• the New Zealand High Commission in Rarotonga, or
• your outer island administration office.

Niue

Take your form and documents to the New Zealand High Commission in Niue.

Tokelau

Take your form and documents to either the:

• relevant Tokelau official, or
• New Zealand High Commission in Apia.

After you return your application form and documents:

• your form will be checked to make sure it's complete
• copies of your documents will be made and originals will be sent back to you, and
• your application will be sent securely to New Zealand to be processed.

We'll send you a letter to let you know the outcome of your application.

You can download a factsheet of the information on this page in these languages:

• Cook Island Māori
• Niuean, or
• Tokelauan.

The factsheet also has information about:

• who can get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension, and
• how much you can get for NZ Super or Veteran's Pension.