Join Date: May 2005
Location: SJC
Programs: NZ*G, QF NB, UA 1K, AA ExecPlat, IHG PlatAmb, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold, ZE1 PC
Posts: 2,635
If it's just lounge access you are after, consider joining the UA Red Carpet Club. They have reciprocal access with most (all?) Star airlines, so as long as you're departing on Star you should have lounge access. At USD$525 it's a little more pricey than Koru Club (NZD$900 today), but may be worth it.
The downside is no space+, no priority checkin, no priority baggage, when traveling on NZ.