Could TAR Asia have started filming earlier? (Are small local tars usually filmed with soundman/cameracrew?)
There are no local TARs which are filmed at all. As I mentioned earlier, TAR isn't particularly popular in NZ at the moment, so I would seriously doubt it if any local production company would put the time and money into producing a local series.
As far as I know, NZ doesn't have any laws prohibiting filming in public places - hence there probably aren't any film permits etc. If they are, they are usually handled by the local city councils. The only exception is for Parliament (which requires official accreditation as a media organisation), and if public places are being closed exclusively for filming.
georgiapeach: Unfortunately I'm a tad bit too busy at the moment to phone people. I'd suggest you use something like VOIPBuster, which allows you to make free PC to Landline phone calls (including to NZ), if you have the time to do some ringing around.