New Zealand Bilateral Social Security Agreements

Shared responsibility agreements are reciprocal. Under each agreement, partner countries make concessions on their social security rules so that people covered by the agreement have access to payments for which they might not otherwise be entitled. In this way, the responsibility for social security is shared between the countries where a person has lived during his or her working years and the person can release potential rights. As a general rule, a pension from one country may be received in the second country, although the paying country retains some discretion in the currency used and in the delivery mechanisms used. Negotiations include the design of the agreement and the implementation of best practices. New Zealanders who travel to Australia without obtaining a permanent residence visa, i.e. holders of a special category visa, can access certain social security benefits covered by the Social Security Agreement between Australia and New Zealand. For more information about the agreement, see below. A social security agreement is being negotiated between New Zealand and Malta to support the coordination of the social security systems of the two states, given the considerable number of Maltese citizens who moved to New Zealand late for the year. . . .