Hi, after the marriage and prior to moving to the UK you will need to apply for a 2-year spouse visa. Armed with that visa you will be able to enter the UK and live here. It also gives you full rights to work in the UK without needing to get a Work Permit.
Lots more information available on the
www.ukvisas.gov.uk website. You will want to download the VAF2 application form and also the INF4 guidance notes.
When to apply? Not earlier than three months before the planned moving date to the UK. Ordinarily the visa start date will be when it is issued. However you can ask them to defer the start date for up to three months. The important thing is that you make your move to the UK shortly after the visa start date, otherwise you will encounter problems two years later when you come to convert your 2-year spouse visa into ILR ..... indefinite leave to remain.
What you absolutely cannot do is enter the UK as a visitor and then attempt to get a spouse visa in the UK. Totally not possible! The application for the spouse visa must be made in NZ.
A word of warning about a deferred start date on the visa .... it cannot be changed later ... without reapplying and paying the application fee again. Having said that it will enable you to plan ahead and book flights with confidence of knowing the visa is in the passport.
Example ... say you plan to fly to the UK on or about say 07.07.07 .... apply for your spouse visa on say 01.04.07 ... asking for a visa start date of say 01.07.07. When (hopefully) that visa is granted sometime in April you will be able to book flights knowing the visa is already in the passport.
