Yep the 777 Premium Economy is a bad product and I am yet to see a good review on it.
I don't think anyone can say that the food on AC is better than NZ honestly! You only need to read the AC forums to hear all the complaints about food and service in J on AC.
The food I received on QF J SYD-MEL which is a 1hr 20 min flight was far far better and had much more taste than anything I received on AC from SYD-YVR-YLW and return.