Originally Posted by CrazyOne
With UA miles it's 60k for the restricted "Saver" award in Y. You can use them on UA flights or Air NZ, though I think there is still no way to book the latter online (which means there's a fee for booking by phone, even though there is no other way to book it).
The 60,000 mile (saver) economy class awards on UA/Star Alliance and, even more so, the 90,000 mile business class awards provide outstanding value to Australia and New Zealand. I believe UA/Star Alliance offer the least expensive redemption options of any carrier/alliance to Australia and New Zealand from the United States.