Thanks, after discussing we think we'd probably go for the IQA assessment here, then go to NZ at the start of the year to secure a job (after hopefully setting up some interviews from here).
Pts wise currently as a quick breakdown we get pts for age, my degree being recognised on the LoQEA, his work experience of >10yrs (relevant to his qualification), and >6yrs in an AASS, plus qualification in an AASS. His qualification is listed under Engineering Technician, but the qualification is not on the LoQEA, so we thought it might be better/nec to do the IQA to secure the pts for qualification. Of course, as you said, getting a job in this area might bypass the need for this (as it would add 60pts), but we figured it'd be an added safeguard, and perhaps lead to more bonus pts which might fast-track our application. Plus even with the IQA it'd still be cheaper than the consultant fees.
After some research and discussion, it seems like we don't really need to go with the consultant anymore.
We'll now try to look for threads on how people go on a visitor's visa to do job hunts and what do they tell the customs immigration officers (we read that people might get turned away for citing job hunt reasons on a visitor's visa, but might get into trouble when they apply for a work/resident visa later if they lie at customs about just visiting).