H5 is a good start. I hate to say it though, as it seems so obvious, but practice is the key to understanding sound design. What software do you have? It's imperative that you have a DAW (digital audio workstation). Reaper is your best bet as it's very powerful and cost-effective.
Living in NZ isn't so much of a problem as you can connect with people all over the world these days. As long as you have a place online to display your portfolio.
If I were you, I'd trawl you tube as there is some great sound designers there who share their knowledge. And try and do a lot of re-designs from popular games for practice.