My 10 cents:

I've flown NZ a lot over the last two years, mostly to the US but I have done HKG and a few trips to Australia as well.

My travel in Business Class has been via OneUps and RUs and nothing I've experienced would make me want to pay cash for it to be honest. The service is not bad just ... average, and I find the food pretty average as well.
I've also had a long drawn out dinner service from AKL to LAX so I think I know what you mean, pretty annoying because I felt like I couldn't sleep or relax and again the food wasn't amazing IMHO.

The worst service I've had consistently has been in PE. I like to think I'm very low maintenance, but even basic stuff like a top up on a drink, or a drink outside of the meal service seems to be a drama in PE. Again it's not terrible but its not great and doesn't make me want to instantly purchase the product over Economy.

The best service I've had was in Economy from LAX to AKL, in an exit row and got chatting to the FA seated opposite. Nothing extraordinary just genuinely friendly, and I wasn't made to feel like I was bothering her with the small things I asked for.

I used to fly Qantas a lot when they were going direct from AKL to places I wanted to go, and I have very fond memories of their business class.
Again, NZ is not terrible or even bad, it just seems average to me.