Yes, you would have to get a visitor's visa (tourist visa, same thing) to make a recce trip. When they ask the reason for the visit, you say you are having a holiday, and also "look, see and decide," which is a recognized acceptable bona fide reason for being a visitor. It means you are going to look around, see what NZ living conditions and prospects in your career are like, in order to decide whether to try to get a job and live in NZ. You will need to check the requirements on the INZ web page for an Essential Skills visa
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...ills-work-visa, or this visa
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...list-work-visa if your potential employer is accredited, to make sure you take with you any evidence you may need from home, that it would be more difficult to get once in NZ.
If you get a job offer, you can then apply for a visa from within NZ. If you don't need to go back home in the meantime, INZ can issue an Interim visa
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...a/interim-visa if your visitor's visa expires, to keep you legal while your application is being processed.