I don’t like New Zealand rules at all actually, because it’s area scoring, suicide and superko (and a strange version at that). The only thing going for it is integer komi (but integer komi is not that important to me). And I’m neutral about free handicap placement.
What I don’t like about area scoring (or AGA territory scoring with pass stones, which is equivalent):
- does not punish trolling when there are no more plays that are worth points
- loss of score resolution (score difference on the board is most often an odd number)
- 7.5 komi is too much (7.5 komi is not neccessary for area scoring, but still it used almost always under area scoring rules, for no clear reason)
- superko is often used. I prefer jigo/no result if both players persist in repetition. I feel that superko complicates the game unneccessarily. Superko sounds simple, but in a real life game it’s not so easy to detect repetition of any previous situation. Even basic ko is already more than hard enough for novices.