I'm hardly a wealth of information but I would be interested to find out how you are getting on with your plans to join the RAAF, theedmancometh?
The reason I ask is that I am in a similar(ish) boat to yourself as a NZer with designs on joining the RAAF. For myself it has taken 4+ years of planning and work to get myself in a position to apply for a Permanent Residency Visa, of which I have 38 weeks left to go until I am eligible to do so. In this final year I am focusing on preparing for aptitude/fitness tests, as well as learning as much about the RAAF as I possibly can.
Although these forums and others have been a fantastic source of information about the recruitment process, it would probably we wise to speak to a recruitment officer sooner rather than later. I had intended to head back over to the West Island later this year, and it would probably be smart to arrange something beforehand. Is there any way to contact ADF recruiters from overseas?
I'm quite happy to share my progress on the process for others who are interested, however you wont hear much from me for 38 weeks until I reach the 1st hurdle. In the meantime, however, feel free to PM me theedmancometh if you want to compare notes on the whole affair.