If the applicant is a recognised partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident, be it an officially sanctioned or de facto partnership, can apply for New Zealand residency.  The applicant must  have a family member who is a New Zealand citizen or resident, and the applicant  wishes to join the partner in the country on a more permanent basis.    

In the meantime, the partner  who is a New Zealand citizen or resident  must be eligible to sponsor you, the partner must be able to prove the immigration standards and meet certain character requirements. Specifically, sponsors and partners cannot have been convicted of domestic violence or a sexual crime.