I'm looking here
https://www.linz.govt.nz/overseas-in...-one-home-live - these information pages have been updated since I referred to them earlier on this thread. In the section
Can you buy a home to live in?, there's a link to an information sheet, and the following quote is from there.
People who can only purchase with consent
New Zealand resident class visa and Australian/Singaporean permanent resident visa holders must meet all of the criteria below to be able to purchase without consent:
•
Hold New Zealand residence class visa or Australian/Singaporean permanent resident visa
•
Be a tax resident
•
Have resided in New Zealand for the immediately preceding 12 months and live (be present) 183 days out of those 12 months
Comparing these three points to your own situation, not being a lawyer, I don't know what the answer is. None of the examples on the page exactly matches you. I suspect (but this is just me, an ordinary person, guessing from what is written, and nothing official) it may make a difference who you were working for when you were overseas, and if you kept a home in NZ during that time, and there's also the issue of tax residence to consider.
There is a Contact Us link given on the page, and in your place, I would ask the question of the people there as your next step.