Remoak will be along shortly, and on this topic I will be inclined to agree with him.
Lol... ok then...
If the lad really, really, really wants to do it, tell him to go for it, because nothing we say is going to stop him anyway.
If he isn't 1000% committed, tell him to be smart and go get an MBA. More money, more time off, no six monthly checks to worry about.
If he can get a Euro passport, tell him to get over there and do a JAA/EASA licence. Far more jobs on much better machinery, with far bigger airlines than Air NZ which is pretty puny in international terms. Better money too.
If he has to stay in NZ, warn him that NZ aviation is a parochial backwater, and that bending over and taking it like a man is the standard method of advancement...
