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:
- Cheers -- default, works almost everywhere
- Nga mihi -- warm, culturally appropriate, increasingly standard
- Thanks -- when asking for something or appreciating effort
- Kind regards -- one step more formal, good for new clients
- 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
-
Lead with the point. First sentence answers the question or states the purpose. Context comes after, not before.
-
Short paragraphs. Two to three sentences max. One idea per paragraph. White space is your friend.
-
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.
-
Active voice. "We'll send the report Monday" not "The report will be sent on Monday."
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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.
-
One ask per email. Multiple requests? Number them. Don't bury the second ask in paragraph four.
-
Match their energy. Short email from client? Short reply. Detailed brief? Detailed response. Don't write five paragraphs when two lines will do.
Examples
Status update to existing client
Too corporate:
Dear Mr Thompson, I am writing to provide you with an update regarding the progress of your website redesign project. Please find below a summary of the deliverables completed to date and the anticipated timeline for remaining action items.
Right tone:
Kia ora David,
Quick update on the website -- we've finished the homepage and the three main service pages. Looking good so far.
Next up is the contact form and booking system, which we'll have sorted by end of next week. I'll send through a preview link once it's live on the staging site.
Cheers, [Your name]
Delivering a quote
Too stiff:
Dear Client, Please find attached our formal quotation for the proposed scope of work as discussed. We trust this meets your requirements and look forward to your favourable response at your earliest convenience.
Right tone:
Kia ora Sarah,
Thanks for the chat yesterday -- good to get a clear picture of what you need.
I've put together a quote based on what we discussed. The short version: $4,500 for the full site, including the booking system. That covers design, development, and getting it live on your domain.
Happy to jump on a call if you've got any questions.
Nga mihi, [Your name]
Saying no to a request
Too blunt:
We can't do that.
Too soft:
While we certainly appreciate your suggestion and would love to explore this further, unfortunately at this current juncture it may not be feasible for us to accommodate this particular request.
Right tone:
Kia ora Mark,
Thanks for thinking of us for this. Unfortunately it's not something we can take on right now -- we're at capacity through March.
If timing works, we'd be happy to look at it in April. Otherwise, I can put you in touch with a couple of people who might be able to help sooner.
Cheers, [Your name]
Context Rules
Corporate clients: Match their formality up one notch but keep the warmth. "Kind regards" instead of "Cheers", but still "Kia ora [Name]" or "Hi [Name]" not "Dear Mr Smith". Never mirror their jargon back.
Delivering bad news: Be direct but kind. State the issue, explain why briefly, offer the path forward. No waffle, no excessive apologies. One "sorry" is enough.
Quoting prices: Direct and confident. "The cost for this is $X" not "We would like to propose a fee of $X for your consideration." Include what's covered. State GST position (inclusive/exclusive) explicitly -- NZ GST is 15%.
Saying no: Respectful and brief. Give the reason (one sentence), offer an alternative if possible. Don't over-explain or apologise excessively. "Put you in touch with" is more Kiwi than "recommend".
Following up: Casual but purposeful. "Just checking in on this" is fine. "I trust this email finds you well" is not.
