shk292:
You'd get a reasonably nice '07 Mk3 CRV for your money. I've recently sold my 09 CRV and it was a great family car, we've had CRVs since our two kids were babies and they never felt short of space. Quite nice to drive also. For reliability I'd rate them well above a Mitsu or Mazda
i think a CRV is out of the OPs budget range unless it is high mileage. I spent a couple of months looking for a CRV and eventually got a 2007 2WD with ~100k for $16k. I imagine they would cost more in the South Island.
Bought it sight unseen (plenty of photos) and it got delivered for free a coupla days later - gotta love internet shopping.