Recent rounds of interviews were the last of the VARA crew that wanted to be considered for VA positions, however even with the urgent need for NZ based FO's, none of the VARA crew will be released from their operation due to the low numbers on the ATR, at least for the remainder of this year. The next lot of interviews over the coming 2-3 months will be external candidates.
Most pressing at the moment are the NZ based 737 FO positions.
A deed has been presented concerning the group date of joining and integration concerning the tiger pilots, but as most of them will potentially be bonded for at least 2 years when they transition onto the 737, and that transition is probably a year away, their position or potential position on the GDOJ list won't have any immediate impact on where new hires may or may not end up.
Regular interview sessions are booked over the coming months.
Nobody really knows for certain how many or where the target areas are, and with the re-training of all the ejet crews onto the 737, things are going to be quite busy for a while.
As far as new hires are concerned, those considering a NZ base with the expectation of getting back to the Oz should consider the possibility of being over there for a while.
As far as no longer being the airline of choice for candidates, that may very well be true. It all depends on the candidate I suppose... Hope this helps.