Wellington City Council

Letter

WELLINGTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED DECISION ON DESIGNATION WIAL1 IN THE PROPOSED WELLINGTON CITY DISTRICT PLAN

Why the member of the public nominated this entry

The member of the public who made this nomination described their frustration and time wasted over trying to understand a document that turned out not to be relevant to them.

‘I have spent hours reading this letter, looking at the website, and compiling this nomination. Those hours are now lost, and I have a headache! If everyone that received this letter had to spend so long trying to understand it, that’s hours and hours of time wasted. And all to discover that I’ll never need to action anything, as I don’t intend to build a 30m-high building on my property. (If I’ve interpreted it correctly.)’

What the judges said

The judges commented that this letter is a classic example of communication that fails its audience. They noted that while the topic is relevant to most Wellington landowners, the specific rules will only impact a tiny number of them. However, the poorly structured letter forces every recipient to work through complex, technical information and unexplained jargon to discover this. ‘A simple, clear statement at the start would have saved thousands of people time and frustration.’

The judges acknowledged the author’s good intentions and noted the use of subheadings and the multiple links to more information. Despite these efforts, the judges found ‘the execution failed spectacularly at serving readers’ needs’.

Media statement

We haven’t received a media statement yet.