Plain English Awards

celebrate New Zealand's clearest communicators

2011 Awards

Winners of the 2011 Plain English Awards were announced in the New Zealand Listener dated 19 November. Winners were presented with their trophies at a function on 30 November in Wellington. The function was hosted and sponsored by Business New Zealand.

And the winners are...

Congratulations to our 2011 plain English heroes


Plain English Champion — Best Organisation

Winner: Statistics New Zealand

Finalist: Cancer Society of New Zealand

Finalist: Commerce Commission


Plain English Champion — Best Project

Winner: Ministry of Social Development and People First — United Nations

Finalist: NZ Transport Agency — Safe Teen Driver

Finalist: Ministry of Social Development — A Home for Life Honorable mention: Saatchi & Saatchi — Public Information and Education Campaign, 2011 Referendum


Plain English Champion — Best Individual or Team

Winner: Cancer Society of New Zealand

Finalist: Statistics New Zealand

Finalist: Telecom NZ


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

Winner: Cancer Society of New Zealand — Bowel Cancer and Bowel Function

Finalist: NZ Transport Agency — Keeping Moving

Finalist: Ministry of Social Development — Foster Care Kit with Handbook


Best Plain English Document — Private Sector

Winner: Contact Energy — Thanks for Choosing Contact

Finalist: Gareth Morgan Investments — Finally — an Annual Report Written for You

Finalist: Castalia — Norfolk Island's Development Challenge


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

Winner: Careers New Zealand — www.careers.govt.nz

Finalist: PHARMAC — www.spacetobreathe.co.nz

Finalist: Ministry of Consumer Affairs — www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz


Best Plain English Website — Private Sector

Winner: Optimal Usability — www.optimalusability.com

Finalist: Kiwitax — www.kiwitax.co.nz

Finalist: Martelli McKegg — www.martellimckegg.co.nz


Best Plain English Sentence Transformation

Winner: Maryland Spencer — ACC

Finalist: Lesley Hanes — Statistics New Zealand

Finalist: Sue Wilton — Inland Revenue


Best Plain English Technical Communicator

Winner: Sarah Grundy — Department of Conservation

Finalist: Jon Hertzig — Electric Ink Limited

Finalist: Meredith Evans — Streamliners NZ Limited


Best Plain English Financial Document — Investment Statement

Winner: UDC Finance Limited — UDC Secured Investments Prospectus 22 December 2010

Finalist: Goldman Henry Capital Management Limited — Goldman Henry US50 Fund Limited: Investment Statement & Prospectus

Finalist: Pathfinder Asset Management Limited — Pathfinder Global Water Fund Investment Statement 21 April 2010


Best Plain English Financial Document — General Financial Document

Winner: AMP Services (NZ) Limited — Build and Manage Wealth on Your Terms with AMP Wealth View

Finalist: Gareth Morgan Investments — Finally — An Annual Report Written for You

Finalist: Pathfinder Asset Management Limited — Global Water Fund Information Sheet

Finalist: Ministry of Social Development — Sussed Pocket Guide, Your financial plan for tertiary study


People’s Choice — Best Plain English Document

Winner: Elections New Zealand — Elections Enrolment Form


People’s Choice — Best Plain English Website

Winner: Winner: Kiwibank — www.kiwibank.co.nz


People’s Choice — ‘Brainstrain’ Document

Winner: Capital & Coast DHB — Letter

Finalist: AMI — AMI Disclosure Statement

Finalist: Smartshares — Notice to Unitholders of Smartshares Exchange Traded Funds