not sure how we get to this logic given that QF is substantially larger than NZ and has a much larger total FF base (and you would therefore assume more elites). Given QF manage to give First Lounge access to all Platinum (NZ*GE equivalent) and above, it would stand to reason that Air New Zealand could do this at least at their main hub airport.

To me it’s just another example of how AirNZ like to talk about how “innovative” and “industry leading” they are and how “customer focused” they are, but in reality their customer focus relies on hiring nice staff. Don’t get me wrong - they are a decent airline by most standards, but they should really stop taking NZ loyalty for granted and actually invest in the customer experience. They charge premium prices - they should offer a premium product.