I'm sure the editor used to do this, but since a couple of versions ago the zoom no longer locks in to whatever is highlighted (i.e. keeps the highlighted object in the centre of the zoom field).
Might be me misremembering stuff, or maybe there's an option somewhere I haven't seen...?
Generally, I expect all programs to zoom so that the mouse cursor (that stays fixed on screen) points at the same map coordinates before and after the zooming.
Programs that deviate from this need good reasons.
Haven't tested the NL editor recently.
-- Simon
SLX Editor now always zooms on cursor, so this can be considered fixed.