Please help!

Bellezza, while everybody has commented on the potential choice of bike, I have a different perspective. The repeated assertion that your friend would like to use it 'for going to work and for recreation' strongly suggests to me that he doesn't really know what he wants yet--too vague so far.

This also explains why he wants to start with a bike like this, or even why his thoughts seem to be so focused on getting a bike. His skills and knowledge are also important and he should definitely focus on himself a bit more.

Talk some more to him about how long his commute is, what sort of route he would want to take, what riding style he is likely to want to adopt, what places he has at home and at work for securing the bike, what sort of recreational riding he wants to do, what the situation is with cycling generally where he lives, whether there is decent cycle training available, etc.

The best thing he can do is to first of all get in touch with a local cycling organisation, as they will know the place and can give him the best advice. Another shameless plug for the LCC advice section, which is aimed at beginners and a lot of which will apply even in NZ:

http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?Pageid=111

He should realise that when he starts cycling he can get a lot of help from people who are experienced, and that will save him a lot of hunting around on his own and even contemplating bizarre purchases like a Cervélo time trial bike.

It sounds boring, but the safest option for him is probably just to get a decent hybrid, an investment that can pay off for him for a long time, and as he gets more into cycling, he will be able to try out different bikes and exploring different styles. Fixed or single-speed is obviously one of them and conditions permitting he could of course start out with that--but he's got some way to go in any case.

Good luck to him if money doesn't seem to be a hindrance, but enjoyment of cycling can't necessarily be bought.