The point about NZ1/2 via LAX was that the flight times in both directions minimised jet-lag.
Whereas returning from the UK via Asia is always a complete nightmare.
Also, it was sales from California to the UK and vice versa which really filled the coffers.
Not always a ‘nightmare’ - I am doing just that on THAI (FRA-BKK-MEL-AKL-WLG), admittedly with a break in Thailand to avoid being in any way miserable 😎
Joking aside, an old adage is that flying ‘West is best, and East is least’ from a jetlag/circadian rhythm perspective (admittedly coined prior to ultra longhaul flights) . So perhaps the ideal route is NZ-Asia-UK-US-NZ.
YMMV - some may prefer a burger en-route both ways.