Options for moving to NZ with partner

Hi,

I am currently living in Australia with a permanent residency visa. I would like to move to NZ next year and I have a few questions.

I understand that moving to NZ with an Australian PR is quite easy and doesn't require any upfront paperwork. I basically just have to fly to NZ and say I want a resident VISA, however I have a foreign partner who has a student VISA in Australia, we have been living together for almost 5 years and we are planning to get married soon.

What would be the best option for my partner to join me in NZ?

My partner could apply for a Partner of a New Zealander Visitor or work or residence Visa (my guess is visitor is easier, work is harder and residence the hardest to get) however I will not be officially a NZ resident until I actually go there and therefore my partner cannot actually start any application before I get this status.

I only see 2 options.

Option 1

Fly there, get the residence status and fly back to Australia so my partner can start applying for a Visa.

One thing about this option, I will have to apply for a variation of travel conditions to allow me to come back without affecting my residence status. Does anyone know the typical travel conditions given or delay to get them?

Option 2

The other option is that my partner applies for a visitor or working holiday visa and we both move to NZ at the same time and then my partner can apply for a partnership visa. Are there any downsides about this?

Thanks,
Jeremy