Plain English Power: pushing for clarity

We're a network of New Zealand residents promoting the use of plain English in official documents and web sites. We believe that comprehensible information from government is a basic democratic right. We want to make plain English the standard for all New Zealand contracts and consumer information. We especially want plain English in all communications from government agencies to the public.

Get it? That's the point of plain English

We believe gobbledygook is:

• not fair
• not democratic
• not honest
• not necessary.

We need to understand forms, contracts and instructions straight away, at first reading—without a translator or a lawyer. Is that so much to ask? A plain English document or web page can be understood by its intended reader. End of story.

We are lobbying government

We want legal support for plain language as the standard for all government communications in New Zealand. We won't be satisfied with temporary, patchy solutions. Clear writing from government should not depend on a one-off budget or an individual enthusiast. It should be a permanent, government-wide legal requirement. Plain language saves money and improves service—so what's the problem?