A difference of 95 Yen to the NZ Dollar versus 55 Yen to the NZ Dollar works in your favor if you are earning in Yen. Say the exchange was 100 to 1 and you make 150,000 Yen a month, that's 1,500 NZ. However if the exchange is 50 to 1 and you still make 150,000 Yen, that's 3,000 NZ per month. It is like getting a raise without the extra work.
Do you snowboard or ski? If that is the case you need to fast track your visa and go to this site to land a resort job,
SNOWWORKERS | Mountain jobs and ski jobs worldwide. If winter is not your scene, I saw a posting a few days ago on gaijinpot.com that hires summer resort help.
Consider this as well, in bad economic times fuel prices plummet because oil companies fear slowing demand. This is in contrast to the good times when oil prices rise steadily. This could translate into cheaper airfare as long as your carrier has not hedged a bet on rising oil, but that is whole different story.