Below is my experience on the issues mentioned by Nz_Immi;
1. Candidate must possess an Residency/ Work Permit
Yes I managed to get positive resposes only after I got the work permit (silver fern)
2. Candidate should be physically available for attending interviews
Yes;
But I managed to fix a few interviews via an agent only after mentioning my concreet travel plans (they wanted my arrival date and then fixed the interviews while i'm still at home; so I can attend to them as soon as I arrive)
3. Since the turn around time for joining is very less (within a month) so they want you to be physically present in NZ to join immediately.
I can only comment based on the couple of offers I got, but there, the commencement date was "negotiable". But this could really depend on the company and their needs
4. Also observed that having local NZ experience/ education is a plus.
I had no issues on this regard, my qualification is from a UK uni; and my whole experice is back home; however I have a little overseas work experience (working at a few overseas branches) but I dont think those things mattered much. All they were interested about was what I have been doing at my position. Again could be different depending on the company and the specific role you are applying for.
Hope this hepls