Immigration Act 2009, ss 81–85; INZ Operational Manual: Temporary Entry, E7.32, L2.30
If you apply for a Temporary Visa, Immigration New Zealand can instead grant a Limited Visa, which lets you be in New Zealand for a particular purpose only – this could be, for example, to go to a wedding or funeral, to get medical treatment, to do a short full-time study course, to visit a sick or injured relative, or to do seasonal work like picking fruit.
The visa has to include an expiry date, but the immigration laws don’t set down any maximum time a Limited Visa can be granted for.
Immigration NZ will consider granting a Limited Visa if you’ve applied for a Student Visa or Visitor Visa and they’ve decided there’s a small risk you’ll stay in New Zealand illegally after the visa expires (they call this “overstaying”). But for any greater risk – what Immigration NZ calls a risk that’s “more than marginal” – they’ll refuse you a visa.