NZ and Australian English use British-origin spelling — not American spelling. Using US spelling on a NZ or AU application is the single most obvious sign that you have submitted a generic, non-localised application. Here is the complete reference list.
The Most Common NZ Spelling Differences
| NZ/AU (correct) | US (wrong for NZ) |
| colour | color |
| organise / organised | organize / organized |
| recognise / recognised | recognize / recognized |
| centre | center |
| programme | program (except IT software) |
| analysed / analyse | analyzed / analyze |
| realise / realised | realize / realized |
| behaviour | behavior |
| labour / labour relations | labor |
| licence (noun) / license (verb) | license (both) |
| defence / offence | defense / offense |
| travelling / travelled | traveling / traveled |
| specialise / specialised | specialize / specialized |
Quick fix: In Microsoft Word, go to Review → Language → Set Proofing Language → English (New Zealand). This will flag US spellings automatically. Do this before writing or reviewing any job application document.
What About Australian English?
Australian English uses the same spelling as NZ English for all the words in the table above. If you are applying across the Tasman, your spelling is correct for both markets.
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