Any advice on using AA miles on Qantas to fly business class to AKL? Am trying to go in the first few months of 2008, dates totally flexible. AA tells me that there are no seats available thru 18 Feb 2008, and that seats open 330 days in advance but this doesn't mean that all seats will get dumped in at this time. Also, seems like checking this in their computer systems is a fairly manual process and which made the agent pretty grumpy. Any advice? Also, any other suggestions for routes from BOS other than BOS-LAX-AKL?
Thanks!!

This is one of the hardest routes in the world for getting a business award. Lots of people not going to AKL also book it, and QF has only 1 flight/day LAX-AKL. Also QFF awards can be redeemed 355 days out; so one strategy is to start crediting your AA flights to QFF instead of Aadvantage and then redeem using QFF instead. Cost more but there is plenty of availability a year out. Otherwise there is close to zero chance of additional inventory opening up on this route; even if people cancel award bookings, these generally go into J inventory and aren't returned to U. QF is severely short on J seats trans-pacific for the popular travel dates (half the year). This isn't like other routes, it will be tough to get an award without QFF status. EXP is just too low of a status to compete with the others wanting these awards, if you cannot get it a year out.

If you're flexible with routing, attempt to go via MEL, SYD (except QF11/12) or BNE. There is also a SFO-SYD flight on some days of the week. Insist on the agent checking every possible routing - some agents will only stop at the most direct options.

Do you think I would have much luck trying Cathay via HKG or JAL via Tokyo?

JL might have some extra award inventory still free as it is new to Oneworld (joining April 1). But JL has had to adjust its inventory which has caused some chaos recently, so it might be a while until this is straightened out. I'd guess that JL is your best bet. QF is probably the least likely, so any routing that avoids QF has a better chance.

or NAN on Air Pacific (ex LAX) or PPT on Air Tahiti Nui (ex LAX or JFK)

A J award from N. America to the Southwest Pacific is, IIRC, 125K miles.

On the other hand, BOS-AKL-BOS is 18,003 miles according to the GCM, so that falls into the OW130C range for Oneworld awards, i.e. 130K miles. However, for the extra 5K miles you can use any Oneworld routing there is - doesn't have to be transpacific - only the mileage between stopovers is counted, regardless of routing (however 2 separate OW members in addition to AA must be used.) Assuming JL is a full participant in OW awards as of April, you could go (e.g.) BOS (AA) xORD (AA) xNRT (JL) xSYD (QF) AKL and back, or BOS-xLHR-xSYD-AKL-xHKG-xNRT-xDFW-BOS, etc. etc.

I had a very easy time getting HKG-AKL and return as part of a OW award, with dates in early Jan. Several open days to choose from. Though this was exactly 330 days out. IME the hard part is finding the seat HKG-US though hardly impossible. I decided to route through NRT and spend a few days there on the way home. But to answer part of your question, yes, it's possible to get HKG-AKL on CX in U as I just did.

there is la bne akl on 18th feb, Are you a qantas member if so keep checking as flights do come up somethimes when people release awards you have to check continulously.

Ah yes - cheers for the reminder.
The options Kiwi pointed out would be better miles wise if you can't get the direct QF flights - you save about 5k spending on the regular partners award rather than the oneworld award.

But I haven't been on either of those airlines - how are they quality wise?

They are OK, somewhere between Jetstar and QF. Certainly nowhere close to QF level service for F and J, but better than US domestic F standard.

More importantly they have decent availability and save significant time over going via Asia (or Europe and Asia!).

You could also try going through SCL on LA.

Even harder than QF for availabilty. Frying pan to fire.

I also managed to get a QF business award seat 330 days out.

I just finished the award, as it happens. I'm really amazed that it was so easy. I first picked the cities to visit and a routing and dates I wanted. The idea is to purchase a circle pacific for myself, and use an award for my partner. I started calling AA 330 days before each flight, and to my surprise I was able to book desired flights and routes every time. I did have to adjust the dates a bit, by a few days earlier or later, but that's all. (I was in Prague last week, and called the U.K. AA office from there, and they were able to add more flights as the 330-day window opened for each.)

We're going AA: SAN-LAX, CX: LAX-HKG, QF: HKG-SYD-BNE, QF: BNE-CBR, QF: CBR-MEL-AKL, QF: AKL-LAX, AA: LAX-SAN. (I like HKG-SYD-BNE on QF rather than HKG-BNE on CX or one of the other routes on CX or QF to get a 747 upper deck.)

My advice is to keep calling.