Also is this legit for AirNZ to say. Yes I realize there is a pandemic occurring but that's not the reason they actually have suspended their network. They have actually suspended it due to lack of demand for the services correct.

15.5 When does Air New Zealand issue a credit instead of a refund?

Sometimes the cancellation, failure or misconnection is because of circumstances beyond our control. For example, the following circumstances may be beyond our control: a weather event, public health event (including epidemic / pandemic), airport or facility closures, medical emergencies, strike, terrorist act, governmental, regional or local authority restrictions, change in law. In these cases, you may be entitled to a travel credit instead of a refund, which will be valid for 12 months from the date your Ticket was originally issued (or in certain circumstances an extension may be separately agreed with us). This credit will be for the value of the unused non-refundable part of your Ticket.

We may deduct a reasonable service fee from the credit amount to cover our administration costs.