1) Yes, they are still around, and not limited to anything except what the organisation wants to charge you minus what you can pay up front. The only real restriction is that there is now a cap on each organisation regarding how many EFTSs (full-time student equivalents) they will be funded for, and there is
AFAIK no guarantee yet that any funding will be available next year for any new students. When you talk to a training organisation they are required to fill you in on all the details.
2) Not really, as quite a few smaller operators managed to get in before the cap was imposed. Not to say that they are lesser quality and had to sneak in, because it still took a hell of a lot of work for most (except the franchisers of NMIT) to gain accreditation, and that work was, in general, started years ago. But funding is basically limited to those who got accredited before this year.
3) Again, not really. There has long been a perception that is is "hard to get the first job", and by and large it has been, but it's only psychologically hard
. The degree of difficulty is mainly influenced by each pilot's motivation and willingness to move for work I think. Certainly there are more loan-funded students now, but your competition for jobs is still people with the same licenses and ratings, superior application and demonstrable motivation will get you in.
4) Not even an exam. To convert NZ to Oz, take your licence and theory credits, pay about A$40 when you get to Oz and they'll start processing it that day. Normally takes less than a week. Of course, to fly with anyone,
they'll make you do a check, but again, motivation should get you through that as most things are the same except the odd radio call, oh, and the structure of their airspace and the political situation about whose responsibility [i]separation]/i] is and minor things like that. Sweet as!
You can find a lot of info on
www.caa.govt.nz about the TTMRA (look it up) which explains the conversion requirements.