Just got a call from Expedia AU saying they have tried to reinstate the ticket but unable to do so. They said that NZ has told them the fare is invalid and canceled the fare. They also said that it had to do with the fuel situation in AKL (not sure how that's related or if that's an excuse NZ gave them). They did give me a goodwill coupon for all the trouble.
Now I'll have to contact NZ to get my positioning flights reimbursed.