The New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS) has 7 main categories under which prospective migrants can apply under for immigration to New Zealand.

They are as follows

Skilled Migrant Category
Investor Category
Entrepeneur Category
Work to Residence Policy
Employees of businesses relocating to New Zealand
Family/Family quota category
Humanitarian/Refugee category

For immigration to New Zealand purposes you must fit into one box, there is no negotiating, no variables or flexibility.

The first most important aspect of immigration to New Zealand is which category you will apply under. I have been in New Zealand for 10 years now and have seen numerous changes happen during that time. In 2000 I was briefly involved in assisting people immigrate because of my recruitment business.

After you have made the decision to immigrate, which is a big one, and before you do anything else you need to get a thorough understanding of what category you can apply under.

If you are paying an agent then they will decide this for you based on the info you provide them. If you are doing this on your own though, you need to make sure you get this step absolutely right from the onset for your immigration to Ne Zealand.

Most people apply under the skilled migrant category, which uses a points system. There are some downsides to this category, like

You need to be under 55 years of age
Registration Required in some fields of expertise
Job offer required
The principal applicant must meet English language requirements
It also requires an expression of interest which is scored ranked and pooled and only the highest ranking applicants are invited to apply.

This is probably the biggest step before Immigration to New Zealand can commence. Once you know which category you can apply under can you start moving through the rest of the process.

Immigration to New Zealand must be an enjoyable experience and not stress you out and cause you anxiety. I wish you all the best with your experience.