Cars are a very personal thing so it would be very hard to advise someone.
I am partial to volkswagen ... but have succumbed to the financial advantages of buying Toyota.
Toyota certainly holds it's value and they seem to be quite reliable.
If you want a ffamiliar car and will be in Auckland there IS a Rover dealer there who was very good when we were there.
There is some confusion with the model names ... the NZ new cars have different names than the same car imported from Japan.... and some of them are quite funny .. obviously funny, not as subtle as the Pajero hahahahahaa (not the same as Shogun as far as i know)
Some of them are the same thing you are used to but renamed... you will laugh when you see your first xxxx car as you recognise it as a NNNN car.
Holden = GM = vauxhall