Good to know! I really do appreciate your opinions, in the end it may be wiser to select the single pilot route... will need to seriously weigh up pros and cons before starting the IR training.
DeltaT there is unfortunately no previously-acquired NZ licence I can use, the MEIR will be an initial issue (theory + flight test).
Something I still cannot quite process is the endorsement attached to the IR. Take the example of flying a King Air: please correct me if I'm wrong but this aircraft can be operated both single pilot and multicrew. Now assuming for a moment you've got a valid Type Rating and a fresh MEIR Single Pilot, can't you fly 'multicrew' with a rated co-pilot ? Workload aside, not much would change...right?