Kate Sumner, Auckland Council

Document name

Sentence from Annual Plan 2025/2026

Original sentence

Advocate to the governing body to stop out of sequence developments and urban sprawl where the infrastructure pre-requisites identified in the Future Development Strategy are not provided.

Rewritten sentence

Ask the Governing Body to stop urban developments in areas without the facilities and services to support them.

Judges’ comments

The judges praised a dramatic improvement to the sentence. The original 27 words were reduced to just 18 words – a 33% cut. The rewrite maintains all the important meaning while being much easier to read.

The judges noted several strong improvements. Complex words like ‘advocate’ were replaced with simpler ones like ‘ask’. Confusing phrases such as ‘out of sequence developments and urban sprawl’ became ‘urban developments’.

An abstract requirement was turned into something concrete and clear.The rewrite has a logical flow and active tone that guides readers smoothly through the information.

All three judges gave the rewrite an overall rating of ‘Excellent’. They highlighted how the sentence now follows the ‘don’t hurt my brain’ principle.

Readers can understand the message without effort. One judge said the rewrite ‘says exactly what needs to be said’ – nothing more, nothing less. The transformation shows how good plain language makes information accessible to everyone.

Media statement

At Auckland Council, clear communication is at the heart of how we serve our communities. The important information we provide to Aucklanders often covers complicated subjects and processes.

Every word we write should help people understand, act on information and feel confident engaging with us. Plain language makes that possible.

This award recognises more than just one transformed sentence — it represents our shared commitment to being open, accessible and easy to understand. When our information is clear, people can make informed choices about their homes, communities and city. It also takes away some of the stress involved in complex rules and processes, from applying for a building consent to putting up a business sign.

I’d like to thank my colleagues across the Digital team who champion plain language every day by rewriting, rethinking and refining content to make sure our information is clear, accurate and helpful.

Thank you also to the judges for recognising the importance of clarity in public communication. It’s a privilege to be part of a team — and a council — that values it so highly.

Kate Sumner
Content Advisor
Auckland Council