Assalaamu alaikum Ayser,
(smile) It is great that you have the passion to be a trailblazer. Because in places where there is not a strong Islamic tradition (such as my home Canada), we very much need scholars who understand (and care about) the local population.
I would suggest that a first step you could take is to get a really good grounding in Classical Arabic. This will enable you to directly access the Qur'an and ahadith, as well as various scholarly works. Because when it comes to translations, not only do you tend to lose some richness of meaning in translation, but various factions may try to manipulate the translation for their own purposes. And many scholarly works have not been translated.
I found the following link that might be useful to you. It is in Australia, but there seems to be a mechanism for New Zealanders to study here.
http://www.csu.edu.au/courses/master-of-arts-classical-arabic
Of course, I don't know what your current level of education is, and this program is mostly aimed at graduate students, but you could at least contact them. They may know of other resources, or be able to advise you on how you can proceed.
(smile) Of course, after getting a good grounding in Classical Arabic, if you want to become more competent in the Islamic Sciences, I would suggest you look for countries with a rich history of Islamic scholarship for further study. Indonesia is relatively close to you. Perhaps you could one day study there? (IB member Ardianto might be able to advise you in this case).
(smile) This may seem all rather daunting to you. But just remember: every journey starts with a single step. And then another. And then another. (smile) And God likes best those efforts we make consistently over time, rather than trying to do everything at once (and often giving up after a while...).
May Allah, the Bountiful, Guide us in our quest for knowledge... for His Sake.