Does New Zealand recognize dual citizenship?

Here's the English translation of the provided answer in markdown format:

Answer: Hey there! Let me explain the situation with dual citizenship in New Zealand and keep it simple and easy to understand.

The answer is straightforward: Yes, New Zealand fully recognizes and allows dual citizenship.

This basically means it's completely fine with the New Zealand government. Specifically:

If you are a foreigner: When you qualify to become a New Zealand citizen (officially naturalised), the New Zealand government does not require you to give up your original nationality.
If you are already a NZ citizen: If you acquire citizenship of another country (for instance, by birth, descent, or living there), the New Zealand government will not cancel your New Zealand citizenship because of it.

Put simply, in the eyes of New Zealand law, you absolutely can hold a New Zealand passport in one hand and another country's passport in the other.

## A Crucial Point: You MUST Check the Rules of the Other Country!

This is really important and often overlooked. While New Zealand recognizes dual citizenship, this is its unilateral stance. Whether you can actually hold dual citizenship crucially depends on whether your other country of nationality also recognizes it.

Two examples will make this clear:

Scenario 1: The Other Country Does NOT Recognize it (e.g., China) For instance, you were originally a Chinese citizen. China's Nationality Law states that it does not recognize dual citizenship. Therefore, the moment you take the oath to become a New Zealand citizen, according to Chinese law, you automatically lose your Chinese citizenship. In this case, even though New Zealand doesn't mind you keeping your Chinese citizenship, China doesn't allow it. So, you cannot actually hold dual citizenship. You must choose either NZ or Chinese citizenship.
Scenario 2: The Other Country Also Recognizes It (e.g., UK, USA, Australia, etc.) Alternatively, if you were originally a citizen of a country like the UK, USA, Canada, or Australia, these countries also recognize or tacitly permit dual citizenship. Then, when you become a NZ citizen, you can keep your original nationality too. This means you can legally hold two passports and enjoy the rights of citizens in both countries.

## In Summary: What This Means For You

Retaining Identity: As long as your country of origin allows it, you can remain a citizen of that country after becoming a NZ citizen.
Rights & Obligations: You will simultaneously enjoy the rights of both citizenships (like voting rights, social benefits, etc.), but you must also fulfill the corresponding obligations of both (such as tax filing, military service, etc., where applicable per each country's laws).
Travel Convenience: Holding two passports is very convenient for international travel. For example, use your NZ passport entering/exiting New Zealand, use your passport from your country of origin to enter/exit that country, and when traveling to a third country, use whichever passport offers more visa-free access or easier entry.

So, the bottom line is: New Zealand absolutely permits dual citizenship, but whether you can actually hold it ultimately depends on the rules of the country that issued your other passport. Before making any decisions, it's highly recommended you check the applicable laws of your very own home country.