I am an American who is currently in NZ on a Partner of a NZer Work Visa. This visa expires May 21, 2025. On January 7, 2025, on the one year anniversary of living with my partner (who is Kiwi), I applied for the Partner of a NZer Resident Visa. Currently, 80% of this visa type are approved within 7 months. Because my work visa will most likely expire before my resident visa comes through, my options are to either renew my work visa or to leave NZ before my work visa expires and return when my resident visa is approved. Rather than renew my work visa, I would like to return to the States for that period of time (mid-May through early August), but a friend of mine and her partner were in the exact same situation and their period of separation raised red flags with Immigration. Would I be fine to leave NZ for a few months rather than to stay and renew my work visa?