Lie flats are great
Hi JF,
Come on down the waters lovely. I have had the pleasure of flying Business class to NZ 10 or so times in the last few years (I live in NZ). Air NZ Business has the full lie-flat bed invented by Virgin (on the diagonal). I am 6ft5' so it is important to me to get that comfort.
The trip via LA will be a little bit shorter than DUB, HK or BKK (read Emirates, Cathay or Thai) and so worth chosing AirNZ or BA/Qantas (Flight time is faster to the East but time on the ground in LA is shorter going west). Also Emirates will have you arrive via Melbourne or Sydney adding another couple of hours to an already long flight. (count on it being about 30 hours check in to check out)
Premium Econonmy is seen as a smart move for anyone on a budget - the food is similar to Business and the seat pitch is a great deal better. You can also use the lounges I think (not 100%) which will be a bonus at LA.
July as you know will be smack in the middle of our winter so expect rain and cold when you pack - not quite as cold as blighty but certainly as wet.
J