Nz Business English
Draft and edit professional copy for New Zealand audiences with correct EN-NZ spelling and warm, inclusive Kiwi business tone.
Overview
NZ Business English is a journey-wide agent skill that enforces EN-NZ spelling and Kiwi professional tone—usable whenever a solo builder needs to write or edit business text for a New Zealand audience before committing.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/jezweb/claude-skills --skill nz-business-englishWhat is this skill?
- EN-NZ spelling matrix: -our, -ise, -re, licence/license noun-verb splits
- Tone guardrails: warm, competent Kiwi professional—not performative Te Reo or corporate drone
- Applies to emails, chat, proposals, client comms, blogs, and web copy
- Editing and tone-checking pass for drafts aimed at NZ readers
Adoption & trust: 591 installs on skills.sh; 841 GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
Your draft reads American or overly corporate, and NZ readers notice wrong spelling and tone instantly.
Who is it for?
Founders and solo operators selling or supporting customers in New Zealand across email, web, and client documents.
Skip if: Purely technical API docs with no reader locale, or legal contracts that require a qualified NZ lawyer rather than style guidance.
When should I use this skill?
Whenever the user is writing or editing for a New Zealand audience: emails, chat, proposals, client communications, blog posts, web copy, or professional business text.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You ship copy that matches EN-NZ conventions and sounds like a competent local professional across the channels you specify.
- EN-NZ-corrected prose
- Tone-adjusted business communication ready to send or publish
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Useful at every journey phase - explore requirements and options before committing to a direction.
Where it fits
Rewrite a hero section so EN-NZ spelling and softer collaborative framing land for NZ SMB buyers.
Polish a product announcement email before sending to Wellington and Auckland customer lists.
Tone-check onboarding and renewal emails so they stay warm without hype.
Align in-app help and README tone with NZ business English for a locally marketed SaaS.
How it compares
Use instead of default US-English agent outputs when the stated audience is New Zealand business.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is nz-business-english for?
Solo builders, consultants, and small teams who write client-facing or public business content for New Zealand and want consistent local spelling and tone.
When should I use nz-business-english?
Use it when validating landing page copy, writing launch emails and blog posts, polishing grow lifecycle messages, answering operate support threads, or editing any NZ-targeted proposal—whenever the user mentions New Zealand audience or EN-NZ style.
Is nz-business-english safe to install?
It is style guidance only with no shell or network calls; still review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing any skill from the catalog.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - 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,