Hi Macfod,
have you thought about making the trip to Wellington and calling in to see the people at the NZIS business unit. It's in an office on the terrace. They have a reception area so I'd call in say you need to talk to someone and get an answer as if they are going to stick to the rules they'll be able to tell you straight away. LTBV can take a year to process. I was originally told 2 months for mine then they said it would be 6 to 9 months and then 12. At least you'd know where you stand.

Paul