I'm not familiar with the nuts & bolts of the NZ pilot employment scene but saw this ad saying "Visa Sponsor" yesterday. It's for paying members of the website and I'm not one so details aren't available. Could it be related to the subject of this thread ? Are visas commonly offered to foreign nationals:
Dash-8 Rated / Non Rated Captains - New Zeland (Visa Sponsor)
(MEMBERS ONLY)
13 Jun , 2017
From this website:
https://www.latestpilotjobs.com/jobs/