Is our spelling different?
Is it colour or color? Behaviour or behavior?
Most New Zealanders know that New Zealand English (NZE) uses colour and behaviour, following British English (BrE) spelling, whereas the the other variation is American English.
So, are there any differences between NZE and BrE spelling?
It is probably not a surprise that the spelling of English words in New Zealand writing is virtually indistinguishable from that of BrE, just as most NZE grammar rules follow BrE. It is the vocabulary and the accent that distinguishes NZE the most from other forms of English.
However, there are a few small differences – though even then it would not be considered wrong to use the British English spelling variant:
For words ending in -(e)ment as in lodg(e)ment, either spelling is acceptable in NZE, whereas -ement is the preferred BrE spelling.
When speaking of weights, NZE follows BrE with tonne. However in hyperbolic statements, ton and tons are commonly used (e.g. I have tons of lollies).
In words that may be spelt with either an -ise or an -ize ending (such as organise/organize) NZE prefers -ise. BrE also generally prefers -ise but some British styles, including the Oxford Dictionary, prefer -ize.
NZE prefers fiord over fjord, unlike most other English-speaking countries, although fjord is sometimes used.
When spelling words borrowed from Māori with macrons , it makes sense that in NZE we spell these words with macrons. However, Māori words that are in the English Oxford Dictionary don't tend to have macrons. Hopefully this will change with subsequent editions.
NZE always uses jail rather than the historical gaol in BrE.
Gram, kilogram and other similar metric derivatives are preferably spelled without the extra -me (ie. gram, not gramme), which is acceptable (but also becoming uncommon) in BrE. NZE does, however, follow BrE with the distinction between program (related to computers) and programme (for a concert or on TV).
One final note is that you should keep American English (AmE) spelling when the word is part of a trademark – such as Cooper Tires or Colorsteel – or with American titles such as the FBI Medal of Valor. In addition, some newspapers (such as The New Zealand Herald) retain the American English spelling if the original article came from an American publication.
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External sources:
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-GriBook-_div2-N1097E.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_English#Spelling
Kennedy, G., Deverson, T. (2005) New Zealand Oxford Dictionary. Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.