People who fear returning to their own country can ask New Zealand to recognise them as refugees or protected persons. People who lodge a claim for refugee or protection status in New Zealand are known as refugee and protection claimants.
You must meet the criteria to be recognised as either a Refugee or a Protected Person
A refugee is a person who "owing to wellfounded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it."
A protected person is a person for whom there are substantial grounds for believing they would be subjected to torture, or to arbitrary deprivation of life or cruel treatment if deported from New Zealand