Plain Language Awards

Celebrate the stories of our clearest business communicators

2013 Awards shortlist

Congratulations to all organisations that made the shortlist! They're below in alphabetical order.

Plain English Champion — Best Organisation

ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd
Department of Internal Affairs
Ministry of Social Development
Office of the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner

Plain English Champion — Best Individual or Team

ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Retail Division
ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Wealth (Plain English Team)
Asteron Life — Marketing and Product Team
Contact Energy — People and Culture Team
Department of Internal Affairs — Digital Engagement Team
Financial Services Complaints Limited — Case Management Team
Inland Revenue — Service Delivery Team and Communications Team
PORSE Equine Education Limited — Michelle Martin
Statistics New Zealand — Editorial Team
Telecom New Zealand — Sarah Burns

Best Plain English Document — Public Sector / Non-Government Organisation (NGO)

Accident Compensation Corporation — Independent Lives newsletter, issue 3
Environmental Protection Authority — Hazardous Substances Toolbox
Memorial Park Alliance — Right Beside Our School: the National War Memorial Park and the tunnel below
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment — Keeping Kids Safe
Ministry of Social Development — SKIP Tips for Parents series
Ministry of Social Development — Welfare Reform July 2013 communications
Standards New Zealand — Standards Council Statement of Intent 2013 – 2016
Standards New Zealand — What’s involved? Standards technical committees
Statistics New Zealand — ‘Four weddings and a civil union’ (2012 Yearbook article)
The New Zealand Treasury — Affording Our Future: 2013 Statement on the Long-Term Fiscal Position

Best Plain English Document — Private Sector

ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Retail’s ANZ Memorandum of Mortgage
ANZ New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Wealth’s ANZ KiwiSaver Scheme Investment Statement
Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd — Drystock Biosecurity Guidelines
Catalyst Fuel Refunds — Marketing brochure
DTR — Easi-Own Agreement and Disclosure Statement for Consumer Credit Card Contracts
DTR — Flip charts
Gareth Morgan Investments — Gareth Morgan KiwiSaver Scheme Annual Report 2012-2013
PORSE Equine Education Ltd — Equine Learning Guide
PORSE Education & Training (NZ) Ltd — Learning Guide — National Certificate in ECE (Level 3)

Best Plain English Website — Public Sector / Non-Government Organisation (NGO)

Accident Compensation Corporation — www.acc.co.nz/disability
Careers New Zealand — www.careers.govt.nz
Department of Internal Affairs — https://beta.govt.nz/
Gisborne District Council — www.gdc.govt.nz
Inland Revenue — www.ird.govt.nz/childsupport-changes/?id=homepage
Karori Community Hall Trust — www.karorieventcentre.co.nz
New Zealand Police — www.police.govt.nz
St Mary’s Early Childhood Education Centre — www.stmaryschildcare.org.nz
The New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services — www.support.familybudgeting.org.nz
The Salvation Army — www.salvationarmy.org.nz

Best Plain English Website — Private Sector

ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Wealth’s www.anz.co.nz/futurewise
Catalyst Fuel Refunds — www.fuelrefunds.co.nz
Equinox IT — www.equinox.co.nz
Martelli McKegg — www.martellimckegg.co.nz
Telecom — telecom-community.custhelp.com

Best Plain English Sentence Transformation

ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Retail Division — sentence from ANZ Memorandum of Mortgage
ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Wealth and ANZ Retail — sentence from Bonus Bonds Prospectus
ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Wealth and ANZ Retail — another sentence from Bonus Bonds Prospectus
Thorn Rentals NZ (trading as dtr) — sentence from easi-own agreement
Thorn Rentals NZ (trading as dtr) — sentence from easi-own contract
Xero — sentence from ‘Add or edit a fixed asset’
Xero — sentence from ‘Foreign currency bank accounts’
Xero — sentence from ‘Foreign currency bills and invoices’
Xero — sentence from ‘View customer or supplier contact details’
Xero — another sentence from ‘View customer or supplier contact details’

Best Plain English Technical Communicator

Carsten Schousboe, GROW International
Chloe Hooper, Statistics New Zealand
David Scott, Futrix Ltd
Eloise Orovwuje, Careers New Zealand
Kylie Mason, Ministry of Health
Kylie McGrath, Xero
Louisa Eades, Streamliners
Ros Black, Xero

Best Plain English Investor Document

Amanah Trust Management (NZ) Limited — Combined Investment Statement & Prospectus
AMP Services (NZ) Ltd — AMP KiwiSaver Scheme Investment Statement
ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Wealth’s ANZ Investment Funds Investment Statement, OneAnswer Investment Funds – Multi-Asset Class Investment Statement, and OneAnswer Investment Funds – Single-Asset Class Investment Statement (tied due to being similar)
ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Wealth’s ANZ KiwiSaver Scheme Investment Statement
ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Retail’s and ANZ Wealth’s Bonus Bonds Prospectus
ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Wealth’s OneAnswer KiwiSaver Scheme Investment Statement and OnePath KiwiSaver Scheme Investment Statement (tied due to being similar)
UDC Finance Ltd — UDC Secured Investment Prospectus No. 66
US50 Fund Ltd — Combined Investment Statement & Prospectus

Best Plain English Turnaround

ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Retail’s ANZ Memorandum of Mortgage
Asteron Life — Asteron Life Personal Insurance Policy Document
Department of Internal Affairs — from www.newzealand.govt.nz to https://beta.govt.nz
Inland Revenue — IR 240 and IR 333
Ministry of Social Development — Home Equity Release Schemes Code of Standards
Telecom New Zealand — Contacts for New & Move Tier 1
Telecom New Zealand — Mobile Central
Thorn Rentals NZ Ltd (trading as dtr) — easi-cash contract
Thorn Rentals NZ Ltd (trading as dtr) — easi-own contract
Thorn Rentals NZ Ltd (trading as dtr) — flip charts

People’s Choice — Best Plain English Communication

ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd — ANZ Wealth’s ANZ KiwiSaver Scheme Investment Statement
High Court of New Zealand — Justice Collins’ Judgment HCC v LHDC
Interactive Consulting — www.interactiveconsulting.co.nz
National Hearing Care — Letter: National Hearing Care Clinic Lower Hutt Important Announcement

People’s Choice — Worst ‘Brainstrain’ Communication

We can’t very well congratulate the ‘Brainstrain’ shortlist but here it is!

Hamilton City Council — Hatch, Match and Dispatch factsheet
Massey University — Visual Communication Design History course assignment 222.281
State Services Commission — Job description: Director — Continuous Improvement
Work and Income New Zealand — Funeral Grant Application