Powdered versions aren't any better than the encapsulated stuff. It's the same stuff. They just put it in capsules and mark it up (lots). Heck it might take as much as 30 seconds for the gelatin capsule to disolve once it hits the stomach. I don't see where that's a major concern. You can always order powders over the internet. It's sold at all kinds of sites. Your problem might be the shipping. I know it costs me $30 AUS for shipping on stuff from Australia. So I figure it might be about the same from US to NZ. And if you do buy the powders and don't like the taste you can buy encapulators and empty gelatin caps and cap the stuff yourself. But believe me, it isn't worth the trouble. I've tried several of them and it's a manual process. Time consuming. Personally, I always buy powder. If you really get into this supplement thing it gets very expensive and every dollar counts.