I have had my licence converted to an Aussie licence and this place only cost me 100$ to get everything signed.
Short and Co
See David Short. Nice guy easy going and only charged me a ton, if i got to his office before his busy day kicked in. As you go in its the first office on the right, but see the office ladies at the counter. Get there early and he'll be happy to help ( early means just as he gets to work. Amazing how some people can make 100 dollars in cash before the 9am start bell isn't it! )
The English requirements have only recently been introduced. So add another 100$ or so onto the rest of the bills to get the Aussie licence.
FS1200
It simply is NZ staying complaint with the world ( ICAO ) and not really sure how to go about implementing a successful efficient English testing system. So, what exists currently is what a bunch a people around a board can think up. Some kind of test has to made and put in to place, other wise NZ would fall out of line. And the ICAO would have to remind them to organize themselves. So, the CAA has come up with what we have. But, sadly, they feel warranted to charge the ridiculous sum of $100. And, that cannot be justified, as of yet.