Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission

Winning team Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission (right) with the Awards Head Judge (left) | Simon Hertnon, Tom Hartmann, and Jordan King

Document name

De-jargoning Money

Judges’ comments

The judges loved De-jargoning Money, and it was the runaway winner in its category. It provides a brilliant resource for people in the finance sector to write clearly so people can better navigate and understand the complex world of money. It does a great job of simplifying jargon, and it combines plain language with very effective design. The judges particularly commended the writers for their intensive testing and evaluation efforts.

Media statement

It is brilliant that De-jargoning Money, the glossary written for the financial capability sector to use with their customers and clients, has won this year’s Plain Language Award for the Best Plain Language Document in the Public Sector category. Our thanks to the Plain Language Awards team for everything they do to champion clarity.

Many will already know how the spirit of Sorted has, for over two decades, been about clear and helpful language to help everyone here in Aotearoa New Zealand make the most informed money decisions.

We are pleased to see this same spirit now extend to our work supporting the National Strategy for Financial Capability, and the entire financial capability community. Early on we identified an opportunity to have a collective impact by reshaping the language the sector uses with customers, users, and clients. With the support of WriteMark and the sector, we were able to clarify problematic and contradictory terms across the finance sector, offering more than 300 plain language and consistent alternatives in areas as diverse as insurance, budgeting, and ethical investing. It was a huge job.

This recognition is also for all those who turned their talent and brainpower to create De-jargoning Money — our heartfelt thanks for their many contributions.

Jane Wrightson
Retirement Commissioner
Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission