nz-business-english

# NZ Business English

Professional but approachable. Warm without being over-the-top. Inclusive by default. Write like a competent Kiwi professional -- not like an Australian pretending to be from New Zealand, not like someone who just discovered Te Reo, and not like a corporate drone.

NZ English is close to Australian English in spelling and register, but softer in tone, more collaborative in framing, and increasingly incorporates Te Reo Maori in everyday business use.

## Spelling (EN-NZ)

EN-NZ follows the same conventions as EN-AU:

| Pattern | New Zealand | Not |
|---------|------------|-----|
| -our | colour, favour, honour, behaviour | color, favor |
| -ise | organise, realise, specialise, recognise | organize, realize |
| -re | centre, fibre, metre, theatre | center, fiber |
| -ence | licence (noun), defence, offence | license (noun), defense |
| Double L | travelling, cancelling, modelling | traveling, canceling |

**Noun/verb splits:**

| Noun | Verb |
|------|------|
| licence | license |
| practice | practise |
| advice | advise |

**NZ-specific vocabulary:**

| NZ term | AU/US equivalent |
|---------|-----------------|
| diary | calendar / schedule |
| ring | call / phone |
| fortnight | two weeks (uncommon in US) |
| bach (North Island) / crib (South Island) | holiday house |
| whanau | family / team (Te Reo, widely understood) |

**Date format:** Day Month Year, no comma -- 15 January 2026. Same as UK/AU convention.

## Te Reo Maori in Business

Te Reo greetings and phrases are increasingly standard in NZ business, especially in government, education, and community-facing organisations. Use them naturally, not performatively.

| Phrase | Use |
|--------|-----|
| Kia ora | General greeting -- equivalent to "Hi". Safe default for any context. |
| Kia ora [Name] | Personal greeting. Widely used in emails. |
| Nga mihi | "With thanks / regards" -- common sign-off |
| Nga mihi nui | "With great thanks" -- warmer, for appreciative contexts |
| Morena | "Good morning" -- informal, internal comms |
| Ka pai | "Good / well done" -- informal acknowledgement |

**When to use:** Match the organisation's culture. Government and iwi organisations expect it. Corporate clients may or may not use it -- follow their lead. When in doubt, "Kia ora" as a greeting is universally appropriate in NZ.

**When not to use:** Don't sprinkle random Te Reo words through otherwise English text for decoration. Use complete phrases that you understand the meaning of.

## Tone Ladder

Match formality to context. Default to "warm professional" -- a touch softer and more collaborative than Australian.

| Context | Formality | Greeting | Sign-off |
|---------|-----------|----------|----------|
| Slack/Teams (internal) | Casual | "Hey" / "Kia ora" | None needed |
| Email to existing client | Warm professional | "Kia ora [Name]" / "Hi [Name]" | "Cheers" / "Nga mihi" |
| Email to new client | Professional | "Kia ora [Name]" / "Hi [Name]" | "Kind regards" / "Nga mihi" |
| Proposal or quote | Professional | "Kia ora [Name]" | "Kind regards" / "Nga mihi" |
| Follow-up after meeting | Warm professional | "Hi [Name]" | "Cheers" / "Thanks" |
| Cold outreach | Warm professional | "Kia ora [Name]" / "Hi [Name]" | "Kind regards" |
| Formal letter or legal | Formal | "Dear [Name]" | "Yours sincerely" / "Nga mihi" |

**Never use:** "Dear Sir/Madam" (unless legal/unknown), "Warmest regards", "Respectfully yours".

## Sign-off Ranking

From most to least common in NZ SME context:

1. **Cheers** -- default, works almost everywhere
2. **Nga mihi** -- warm, culturally appropriate, increasingly standard
3. **Thanks** -- when asking for something or appreciating effort
4. **Kind regards** -- one step more formal, good for new clients
5. **Regards** -- neutral, slightly cooler

**Avoid:** "Best" (reads as American), "Warm regards" (overdone), "Ta" (too casual for written comms).

## Avoid List

### Foreign Corporate-isms

Replace these reflexively:

| Instead of | Write |
|-----------|-------|
| "reach out" | "get in touch" / "contact" |
| "circle back" | "follow up" / "come back to" |
| "touch base" | "check in" / "catch up" |
| "leverage" (verb) | "use" / "make the most of" |
| "moving forward" | "from here" / "going forward" (or drop it) |
| "actionable insights" | "useful information" / "what we found" |
| "deep dive" | "closer look" / "detailed review" |
| "bandwidth" (for time) | "time" / "capacity" |
| "deliverables" | "what we'll provide" / "the work" |
| "align on" | "agree on" / "sort out" |

### Forced Kiwi-isms

Avoid in written professional comms:

- **"Sweet as", "choice", "mean as"** -- spoken slang, not business writing
- **"Bro" / "cuz"** -- casual spoken, inappropriate in professional writing
- **"She'll be right"** -- fine spoken, dismissive in writing about real issues
- **"Chur"** -- very informal, not for business emails
- **Overuse of Te Reo for decoration** -- use phrases you understand, not random words
- **"No worries" for serious issues** -- fine for acknowledgements, wrong for "Your site has been offline for two days"

### Australian-isms That Don't Apply

- **"Arvo", "brekkie", "barbie"** -- Australian slang, not NZ
- **"G'day"** -- distinctly Australian, not Kiwi
- **"Fair dinkum"** -- Australian, not used in NZ

## Writing Principles

1. **Lead with the point.** First sentence answers the question or states the purpose. Context comes after, not before.

2. **Short paragraphs.** Two to three sentences max. One idea per paragraph. White space is your friend.

3. **Natural contractions.** "We've", "I'll", "that's", "won't" -- reads human. Ease off in proposals, but emails should sound like a person wrote them.

4. **Active voice.** "We'll send the report Monday" not "The report will be sent on Monday."

5. **Collaborative framing.** NZ business culture skews collaborative. "We could look at this together" rather than "I'll handle this". "What do you think?" is a natural closer.

6. **One ask per email