Speaking as a professional photographer....
Almost anything will do. Whatever body you buy will be a paperweight in 3 years time anyway - so as others have said, the glass is what matters. My most expensive lens was NZ$11,000 so as you can imagine, I won't be swapping systems any time soon! I doubt you'll have that concern, so just go to the dealer and pick up several and go with what feels right.
Personally I use Nikon D3's and D2's. However, Nikon is about 25% more expensive in NZ than Canon.
If I was not actually doing it for work, I'd be shooting film, probably on a Leica M series and a Mamiya 7.
The best dealer near you is Progear in Auckland. They know what they are talking about, Graham has good honest pricing and there's no BS from spotty sales staff just out of nappies...