Writing a cover letter in New Zealand

When a cover letter gets read

If the ad asks for a cover letter, or the application form has a place to attach one, treat it as part of the assessment and put the most work into its opening lines. If you're unsure whether one is wanted, include a short one. A letter carries less of the load in two situations:

• Application forms with their own questions. When a form asks why you want the role or has a box for each requirement, those answers do most of the work. Keep any letter short and don't repeat them.
• Applying through an agency. Ask the recruiter whether your letter will reach the employer, and tell them the two points you most want passed on. Working with recruitment agencies covers the rest.

New Zealand conventions

• One page, matching your skills to the job rather than repeating your CV, which is Tahatū's advice.
• Address a person. Use the contact named in the ad, or ask the organisation who is hiring. If you can't find a name, "Dear hiring manager" or "Kia ora" both work.
• Plain and specific. "I cut invoice errors by half in a year" does more for you than "I am a results-driven professional".
• New Zealand English: organise, programme, centre, and dates written as 15 September 2026. Spell te reo Māori names the way the employer does, macrons included.
• Sign off simply with "Ngā mihi" or "Kind regards" and your full name.
• Send a PDF unless the employer asks for Word, with your first and last name and "cover letter" in the filename, and have someone else proofread it (also Tahatū's advice).

A structure that fits on one page

1. Your details and the date: name, phone, email and city.
2. Who it's for: the person's name if you have it, the organisation, the exact job title and any reference number.
3. An opening of two or three sentences: the role, and one genuine, specific reason you want it at this organisation.
4. The evidence: take the two or three requirements the ad leads with and answer each with one piece of proof from your CV. The formula from How to write a CV in New Zealand works here too: verb, thing, number.
5. Your situation, only if it needs saying: availability, notice period, work rights or a move.
6. A close: say you'd welcome the chance to talk, then sign off.

Answering key competencies and selection criteria

When an ad or position description lists what the employer wants, under a heading such as key competencies, selection criteria or "what you'll bring", that list is your brief.

• Read the position description as well as the ad, and answer in their order and their words, wherever those words are true of you.
• Give one example per requirement: the situation, what you did and the result. That's the STAR shape from Interview questions and preparation, cut to two or three sentences.
• Choose your strongest two or three when there are many criteria and no separate form.
• If the ad asks you to address every criterion, do exactly that, with a short heading for each, even past a page. The ad's instruction outranks the one-page rule.

Gaps, visas and relocation, said plainly

Anything a reader will wonder about is better answered in one calm sentence. Tahatū's advice on gaps is to be honest and to show how that time prepared you for the work you want now.

• A gap: "From 2023 to 2025 I was the main carer for my mother. I'm ready to return to full-time work, and I've spent the last three months refreshing my payroll software skills."
• Work rights: "I hold a New Zealand resident visa" or "I'm on an open work visa valid until June 2028." If you'll need an employer to support a visa, say so here rather than at the offer stage. Getting a job in NZ as a migrant explains how that works.
• Relocation: "I'm moving to Tauranga in February and can start from 2 March. Until then I'm available for video interviews."
• A career change: name the change in your opening and connect it to the job straight away. Changing careers in New Zealand has more.

Your health, pregnancy, caring responsibilities and age are yours to mention or not. The Human Rights Act protects you from discrimination in hiring on grounds that cover these, including disability, sex (which includes pregnancy), family status and age, as Employment rights in New Zealand explains.

Public-sector cover letters

Government departments and ministries hire under the Public Service Act 2020, which requires appointments on merit (section 72). Guidance from Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission on merit-based employment decisions, published in June 2026, asks agencies to assess candidates against pre-determined, skills-based criteria for each role, and Public Service roles are advertised on jobs.govt.nz. Write so that evaluation is easy:

• Work from the position description. Note its key responsibilities and competencies, and match one example to each competency you address, in the same words.
• Follow the listing's instructions exactly, including any page limit or format.
• Show you understand public service. Its stated values are impartial, accountable, trustworthy, respectful and responsive. One sentence of evidence for a value that fits the role does more than agreeing with all five.
• Councils, Crown entities and other public organisations can run their own processes, so read each listing rather than assuming this approach applies.

Openings that work

These were written for this guide, with placeholders for the details that should be yours. Each names the role, gives a specific reason and reaches evidence quickly.

Leading with their priority:

Changing careers:

Returning after a gap:

Avoid the opening that could head any letter: "To whom it may concern, I am writing to express my interest in the position advertised." Start with the role and your reason instead.

Common mistakes

• The wrong name or role, usually from reusing a letter. Check every name before you send.
• Retelling the CV instead of picking out what matches this job.
• Writing about what you want rather than what they need. "This role would be a great next step for me" says nothing about how you'd do the job.
• Claims you can't back up in an interview. Every example is a question you might be asked.
• An AI draft sent as it came out. Tahatū's advice is to check it's correct and rewrite sentences in your own words.
• Images, columns and coloured text. They add nothing, and Tahatū advises against images.

Drafting with Jobtracker

The Cover Letter Writer reads your CV and the job ad, picks the two or three requirements your experience genuinely answers, and drafts the letter in New Zealand English. It's instructed never to claim anything your CV doesn't back up, and you still read and edit every line. It's part of On the Move, the paid plan, which also includes the Govt Application Kit for public-sector roles: a selection-criteria checklist and a STAR-story builder drawn from your logged wins. The CV Builder is free, with no sign-up.