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From the New Zealand Immigration web site:
You can visit New Zealand as a genuine tourist for up to 9 months in an 18-month period.
- The 18-month period is calculated backwards from the last day you intend to be in New Zealand.
- If the last day you’ll be here is 1 December, then your 18-month period will begin on 1 June of the year before.
You can apply for another 3 months’ stay and extend your stay to 12 months in a 24-month period, if:
- you need more time to complete your tourist itinerary
- you can’t leave New Zealand for reasons beyond your control
- you’ve applied for residence for the first time.
To apply for another 3 months’ stay, you must have financially supported yourself and not worked, studied or been sponsored during your stay.
If you’ve recently visited New Zealand for a total of 12 months, you have to remain outside New Zealand for 12 months before you can apply for another Visitor Visa.
Of course it is a bad idea to apply for a visa and ask for the maximum allowable time unless you have very strong personal circumstances. If they believe you cannot support yourself for your intended duration of stay, or that you intend to work in New Zealand, your visa will likely be refused.