Yes, you have up to 12 months from being granted PR to get to NZ to activate it otherwise it ceases to be valid. ?I, too, have been trawling through the NZIS' site looking for confirmation in the written word to post on here, but they really do send you round in circles and make things unnecessarily complicated. ?

PR means that you can stay in NZ indefinitely provided you comply with the conditions of your PR, one being that, during the first 2 years (i.e. until you get your Indefinite Returning Residents Visa) you have to spend roughly 6 months in the country.

If you then want to apply for citizenship, you have to wait for 5 years before doing so.