2023 Plain Language Awards trophies | Photo by Hellie Hadfield

A huge round of applause to our 2023 Plain Language Awards winners and finalists!

We appreciate the hard work that went into all your entries. Well done to you all!

Thanks to all who came to the Awards ceremony at Parliament. Wow! What a night! And thanks to those who watched the livestream.

Stay tuned for ceremony photos coming in the next week. You’ll be able to read judges comments on each winner and finalist, as well as media statements.

Till then, we hope our winners enjoy basking in the limelight!

Plain Language Champion — Best Organisation

Winner: thinkstep-anz

Plain Language Champion — Best Individual or Team

Winner: Talking Trouble Aotearoa NZ Team, Talking Trouble Aotearoa NZ

Finalist: Digital and Customer Experience Team, Auckland Council

Best Plain Language Document — Public Sector

Winner: Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission — De-jargoning Money

Finalist: Ministry of Social Development — Feeling Anxious About Work webpage

Finalist: Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga / Ministry of Education — DI4OL Privacy Impact Assessment: Plain language summary

Best Plain Language Document — Private Sector

Winner: AA Insurance — Working Towards a Resolution brochure

Finalist: Simplicity NZ Ltd — Money Made Simple: Managing your money — a guide for all New Zealanders

Finalist: Stronger Schools, Streamliners — Nurturing Wellbeing in the Classroom

Best Plain Language Website — Public Sector

Winner: Te Whatu Ora / Health New Zealand — immunise.health.nz

Finalist: Ministry of Social Development — changeispossible.org.nz

Finalist: National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) — getready.govt.nz

Best Plain Language Website — Private Sector

Winner: Banked — banked.co.nz

Finalist: Litmus — litmus.co.nz

Best Plain Language Sentence Transformation

Winner: Kate Sumner, Auckland Council — sentence from Auckland Plan: Measuring progress

Finalist: Kate Sumner, Auckland Council — sentence from Digital Knowledge Hub: Writing for the web

Finalist: Michel Mathew, Auckland Council — sentence from Industrial and Trade Activity (ITA) business and stormwater

Best Plain Language Annual Report

Winner: Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage — 2021/22 Te Pūrongo ā-Tau Manatū Taonga Annual Report Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Finalist: Westpac New Zealand Staff Superannuation Scheme — Westpac New Zealand Staff Superannuation Scheme: Navigating through uncertain times

Finalist: National Trauma Network — Annual Report 2021/22

Best Plain Language Legal Document

Highly Commended: Grampians Health — Freedom of Information decision letter

Best Plain Language Technical Communicator

Winner: Helen Bradford, Capire

Finalist: Mercedes Glover, Fusion5

Finalist: Sarah Bichan, Streamliners

Best Plain Language Turnaround

Winner: New Zealand Parole Board — NZPB Victim Notification Pack

Finalist: Manaaki Tāngata / Victim Support New Zealand — Victim Assistance Scheme (VAS) overview poster

Finalist: Ministry of Social Development — Emergency Housing webpage

People’s Choice — Best Plain Language Communication

Winner: Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand — beacons.org.nz

Finalist: Cogo — Cogo’s Impact Model

Finalist: Powershop — powershop.co.nz