Has anyone managed to secure a job in NZ whilst living outside NZ?

I'm getting more and more worried that employers will overlook us for jobs because they can't interview us face to face! We've had a few rejection emails with the stock answer "we had a large number of applicants with more relevant skills etc., etc." when we both have around 15 years experience and are overqualified for the jobs we've been rejected for! I think it might be their polite way of saying "we'd prefer someone who already lives in NZ" but they're not allowed to say that!

Ok it's only been 3 and a bit weeks since we got the visa, and no perfect jobs have come up yet (i.e. what we are doing now), so it may just be because the jobs we've applied for aren't directly what we have experience in (e.g. veterinary laboratories not hospital ones), but I'm still really concerned.