NZ carrier reference — checked July 2026
Every NZ call forwarding code, and the traps carriers don't document.
The call forwarding codes below are GSM standards, so the same handful works on Spark, One NZ and 2degrees. The quirks are what bite: a qualifier some networks silently require, a cancel code that nukes your voicemail, and an iPhone feature that eats diverts. This page has the codes, the safe cancels, and the rescue numbers — checked against carrier documentation in July 2026, with the messy bits tested on a real NZ mobile.
Conditional forwarding or a full divert?
There are four kinds of divert, and mixing them up is the most common way people get in trouble. The three conditional codes only forward a call your phone couldn't take — it still rings first, and you can still answer it. The full divert sends everything, immediately, and your phone stays silent. Handy on holiday; a nasty surprise the rest of the time.
| What it does | Code family |
|---|---|
| Divert when you don't answer | *61…your phone rings first |
| Divert when you're on another call | *67…kicks in when engaged |
| Divert when you're unreachable | *62…phone off or no coverage |
| Divert everything (full divert) | *21…your phone never rings — avoid unless that's what you want |
If you're sending missed calls to voicemail, a mate, or a phone answering service, you want the conditional codes. Set all three (no answer, busy, unreachable) and you've covered every way a call can go unanswered.
The *11 on the end is not optional
You'll see codes ending in *11# below. That *11 is the GSM service class for voice calls, and on some networks leaving it off breaks the divert without telling you. Spark documents it as part of its codes. On Rocket Mobile it was proven the hard way in a live test in July 2026: dialling the code without *11returned eight “Activation Succeeded” receipts across every service class — and the voice divert silently didn't register. On networks that don't need it, it's harmless. So include it.
Call forwarding codes by NZ carrier
New Zealand has exactly three physical mobile networks — Spark, One NZ and 2degrees. Everyone else is an MVNO riding on one of them, which matters more than you'd think (see the next section). Replace numberwith the full number you're diverting to.
Spark
| What it does | Dial |
|---|---|
| No answer | *61*number*11# |
| No answer, longer ring time | *61*number*11*25#delay set in 5-second steps, up to 25 seconds |
| Busy | *67*number*11# |
| Unreachable | *62*number*11# |
| Everything (full divert) | *21*number*11# |
| Cancel no-answer divert | ##61#Spark's own docs list #61*11# |
| Check no-answer divert status | *#61*11# |
Spark is the tidiest of the three: the codes are documented, the *11 qualifier is included in its own docs, and ring delay is adjustable in 5-second steps up to 25 seconds.
One NZ
| What it does | Dial |
|---|---|
| No answer | **61*number# |
| Busy | **67*number# |
| Unreachable | **62*number# |
| Everything (full divert) | **21*number# |
| Cancel no-answer divert | ##61# |
| Cancel full divert | ##21# |
One NZ's published codes use the double-star form and leave the *11 qualifier out. The big caveat: call divert is documented as unavailable on One NZ's retail Prepay plans. If you're on One NZ prepay, forwarding simply isn't an option. Support is on 777.
2degrees
| What it does | Dial |
|---|---|
| No answer, 25-second ring | **61*number*11*25#community-documented — 2degrees publishes no official code page |
| Busy / unreachable | **67* / **62* patternsame format as above |
| Cancel no-answer divert | ##61# |
2degrees doesn't publish an official code page, so the format above is community-documented — it follows the same GSM standard, but verify it stuck (see below) before relying on it. On 2degrees prepay, diverted legs are charged and consume your pack minutes.
On an MVNO? Read this first
An MVNO uses one of the big three networks but runs its own voicemail platform and its own rules, and forwarding is where the differences show up.
- Skinny(Spark network): call forwarding is officially unsupported. The codes won't work, and support can't enable it. Voicemail is a server-side toggle rather than a divert.
- Rocket Mobile (One NZ network): the GSM codes work, but only with the
*11qualifier — proven on a live 027 in July 2026. Without it you get success receipts and no working divert. - Warehouse Mobile (2degrees network): runs its own voicemail numbers on 2degrees infrastructure and, unusually, publishes its voicemail divert code:
*004*+64284808806**30#. Voicemail access is 808. - Kogan Mobile NZ(One NZ network): publishes no divert codes and treats forwarding as “handset only, not the network”. It runs its own voicemail platform — access 121, not One NZ's. Don't expect carrier help.
- Mighty Mobile, Contact Mobile, Kiwi Mobile: nothing published either way. Check with support and test carefully before you rely on a divert.
Turning it off without nuking your voicemail
Plenty of guides online tell you to cancel forwarding with ##002#. Don't. ##002# (and ##004#) erase everydivert on your line — including the carrier's own diverts that make voicemail work. On the big three that's an annoying fix; on several MVNOs the restore number isn't public at all, and getting voicemail back means a support ticket.
Instead, cancel only the divert type you set: ##61# (no answer), ##67# (busy), ##62# (unreachable), ##21# (full divert). Your voicemail settings stay untouched.
Already dialled ##002#? Voicemail rescue numbers
Point your conditional diverts back at the network's voicemail deposit number:
| What it does | Restore via |
|---|---|
| Spark | 083200000divert your conditionals back to +64 8320 0000; voicemail retrieval on 083210 or 122 |
| One NZ | +6421700100not +6421700700, which causes PIN-prompt breakage; the network may also self-restore its default; support on 777 |
| 2degrees | +64222022000voicemail access on 202 |
| Rocket Mobile | 606deposit number unpublished — dial 606 to re-run voicemail setup, or live chat (9–6, Mon–Fri) |
| Warehouse Mobile | *004*+64284808806**30#the cleanest published restore in NZ; voicemail access on 808 |
Activation receipts lie — verify it actually worked
The “Activation Succeeded” message your phone shows after dialling a code is not proof the divert registered — the Rocket Mobile case above showed eight success receipts with no working divert behind them. Two checks that don't lie:
- Dial the status code —
*#61#(on Spark,*#61*11#) — and confirm it reads back the number you set. If it doesn't show your forwarding number, the divert isn't on. - Ring your own mobile from another phone and let it ring out. If the call lands where you pointed it, you're sorted. Test the busy divert too: ring yourself while you're on a call.
iPhone owners: turn off Live Voicemail first
iOS Live Voicemail intercepts unanswered calls beforethe carrier's no-answer divert gets a chance to fire. The call never leaves your phone, so your forwarding destination never sees it — and everything looks correctly configured. If no-answer forwarding “isn't working” on an iPhone, this is the first thing to check: Settings, then Phone, then Live Voicemail, switch it off. Then re-run the ring-your-own-number test.
What the diverted leg costs
On every NZ network, the forwarded portion of the call is billed as an outbound call from your phone. On a plan with unlimited minutes that makes forwarding free in practice. On prepay it draws from your pack minutes or per-minute credit — so keep credit on the SIM. One more limit worth knowing: no NZ carrier lets you divert to an international number. Forwarding destinations have to be NZ numbers.
Across the ditch: Australian carriers
The same GSM codes apply in Australia, with local quirks on each network:
| What it does | No-answer divert |
|---|---|
| Telstra | **61*number*11*20#docs include *11; default ring time is only 15 seconds, so set 20–25 explicitly. Voicemail restore: **004*101#. Diverted legs excluded from Pre-Paid inclusions, absorbed on unlimited postpaid. |
| Optus | **61*number#ring time uses the double-star form **61*number**20#. Voicemail restore: divert to +61411000321, access 321. Prepaid pays 10c/min; postpaid at plan rates. |
| Vodafone AU | **61*number#one-code voicemail restore: dial 1211, access 121. Diverted legs are free domestically — officially. |
AU MVNOs ride the same three networks (Boost, Aldi, Woolworths and Belong on Telstra; Amaysim on Optus; Kogan AU, felix, TPG and iiNet on Vodafone), but the details vary a lot: Aldi requires pay-as-you-go credit on the account or forwarded legs silently die, Amaysim charges 32c/min for the diverted leg — the dearest verified — and conditional diverts to external numbers on Kogan AU and felix are undocumented and possibly unsupported, so test on a live SIM before relying on them.
How a call answering and forwarding service uses these codes
This is exactly how TradieCall connects, and it's why setup takes about 10 minutes instead of a site visit. When you sign up, you get a local NZ number for your AI receptionist and the right conditional divert code for your carrier. Dial it once. Your phone keeps ringing first — the receptionist only picks up the calls you miss, in your business name, and texts you the job details. Done with it? Dial the cancel code. No porting, no new SIM, and you keep your number.
Plans run from $129 to $449 a month including GST, with a 7-day free trial and known spam callers blocked at no charge — see pricing for the details, or how plumbers and electricians use it on the tools. Fair warning from the tables above: if you're on Skinny or One NZ retail Prepay, forwarding isn't available on your plan, so no forwarding-based service — ours included — can connect to your number.
Straight answers
Put the codes to work
One code to start, one to stop. Set up your AI receptionist in about 10 minutes, ring your own number, and judge it yourself.
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