Sponsoring foreign husband (to be) into New Zealand

I'm a born and bred New Zealander.

Nothing confirmed at all at this stage, but I was wondering are there any other kiwis out there who have been through the process of sponsoring their foreign partners for permanent residency.

We've been living together for well over a year (seemingly this matters) and will be married in less than 4 months (not even sure if this matters at all these days). Have a joint bank account, bills in both names etc etc.

Is it even possible for him to be granted permanent residency before arriving in the country? I've heard of some spouses only being given work permits or having to arrive on visitors visas.