If you’ve been baffled by gobbledygook recently, take heart. Some of the country’s top government organisations and businesses were honoured last Friday [6 October] in New Zealand’s first plain English awards.
The WriteMark Plain English Awards 2006, sponsored by Write Group Limited, attracted strong competition from organisations all over New Zealand. More than 130 guests gathered for the black tie event at Wellington’s Te Papa Museum to hear the finalists and winners announced in the seven award categories.
The premier award for Plain English Champion — best organisation went to A J Park, a patent attorney firm of over 200 partners and staff. The prize of $10,000 was awarded to the firm for ‘their outstanding progress in creating a plain English culture throughout a firm steeped in tradition and legalese’. The $10,000 prize is to be spent on a specific plain English project designed to bring tangible, measurable results for the firm.
In accepting the award, John Lamb, Chief Executive, said, ‘A J Park set out on this journey to improve our service quality to clients through clear, concise communication. We knew the change to our culture would not happen overnight, so it is exciting and motivating to see the success we have achieved in a short time. It’s great the firm’s decision to do things differently has been recognised in this way’.
Tanya Piejus, Communications Officer for the Department of Building and Housing, won the Plain English Champion — best individual award. This award recognised Tanya’s outstanding personal contribution to the introduction of a plain English culture in an area of government known for its complex forms and regulations. Speaking of Tanya, the judges commented that ‘plain English was in her heart and soul’.
Other winners included: Greater Wellington Regional Council for People’s Choice — Best plain English document; Ministry of Fisheries for Best public sector document; Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand for Best private sector document; and Wellington City Council for Best plain English website.
And, in a good-humoured poke at the all too familiar gobbledygook that still confounds us, a Brainstrain prize was awarded to the Ministry of Social Development for their StudyLink Loan schedule. Dubbed by the judges as ‘appalling’ and ‘a shocker’, this document was a perfect example of text that created confusion, mystery, and frustration for the reader. Rather than the stunning bronze awards handed out to the other winners, the prize for this category was a stainless steel rubbish bin filled with sour worms.
Although not present to collect their prize, the Ministry took the award on the chin and issued a statement from Chief Executive Peter Hughes saying, "Fair cop. We can do a lot better and we will fix it’.
Other finalists in the Brainstrain category included the Sky Television Service Agreement, and the Australian New Zealand Therapeutic Products Authority Joint Agency Establishment Group’s Description of the Joint Regulatory Scheme for the Advertising of Therapeutic Products.
Kevin Milne of Fair Go fame was right behind the cause as MC for the evening. Likewise, keynote speaker Amanda Millar of 60 Minutes entertained with her own tales of the ghastly and impenetrable text she so often encounters in her programme research.
The awards entries were judged by David Russell, retiring CEO of Consumers' Institute; Rachel McAlpine, web content specialist; Jacquie Harrison, Communications Head, Unitec; and Lynda Harris, CEO of Write Group and WriteMark Limited.
WriteMark Awards on Campbell Live
