Glides

As in other parts of the English-speaking world the distinction between /w/ and /hw/ has virtually disappeared, so that for most speakers pairs of words such as witch and which are indistinguishable. The /hw/ cluster is preserved only for the most conservative speakers of these varieties (most notably the older speakers in the Southland in New Zealand).

Yod-dropping is variable in both New Zealand and Australia. After clusters (as in blue) and after /r/ (as in rule) /j/ has totally disappeared. It is now also rarely heard after /l/ (as in lewd), although it is preserved in syllables that do not carry the primary stress (as in prelude). Following alveolar consonants there is considerable variation. While yod is usually deleted after [θ] in words such as enthusiasm as well as after /s/ and /z/ (as in assume and presume), speakers vary between pronunciations with yod and those where palatalization has occurred. After /t/ and /d/ the most usual pronunciation is an affricate (cf. discussion above). Following /n/ there is the sort of lexical variation that is expected of a change in progress; for example, the yod typically disappears in nude but tends to be retained in news. As is the case elsewhere in the English-speaking world, yod is best preserved after labials (as in beauty and fume) and velars (as in cute).