Internal pain points, change-adaptability, enhanced performance capability and the overlaying of certain planning provisions: these are the bewildering, often-enraging spectres of government gobbledegook that haunt official documents.
Now, the New Zealand government is attempting to drawing a thick red line through the worst offenders, with a new law demanding bureaucrats use simple, comprehensible language to communicate with the public.
The controversial bill passed its second reading last month, after colourful parliamentary debate, but still faces a final vote before becoming law.
I wandered lonely as a cloud, That floats on high oer vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils, MP Sarah Pallett quoted in the House. Beautiful, she continued. Basically: I was feeling sad. I went for a walk. I saw a lot of beautiful daffodils, and they cheered me right up good old Wordsworth. But that is the place for flowery, inaccessible language in poetry and literature, and not in government legislation.
The Plain Language Bill will require government communications to the public be clear, concise, well-organised, and audience-appropriate. For the countrys anti-gibberish brigade, its a victory: they say clear language is a matter of social justice and a democratic right.
People living in New Zealand have a right to understand what the government is asking them to do, and what their rights are, what theyre entitled to from government, says MP Rachel Boyack, who presented the bill.
Advocates say theres vast room for improvement in New Zealand government communications. By way of example, the country has an annual plain language award which includes a best sentence transformation trophy. This offering, from the governments statistics department, recently took the prize:
Over the year we tested the innovation readiness and change-adaptability of the organisation, made significant changes to our prioritisation and investment approaches, moved to activity based working and seen teams across Stats respond by making time to focus on tackling customer and internal pain points.
It became:
We tested how ready our organisation was to innovate and make changes. We also changed our approach to setting priorities and to investing, and moved to a flexible working style for our staff. In response, staff focused on solving their own, and customers, irritations.
Another effort came from the NZ Transport Authority:
Where it has been identified and is possible to update this it has been undertaken ensuring future band allocation is correct.
Transformed to:
Where possible, weve identified and updated affected sub-models to make sure theyre assigned the correct levy band going forward.
Bad sentences are more than an aesthetic concern, says Lynda Harris, who launched the awards and directs plain language consultancy Write Ltd. Government communications decide the most intimate and important parts of peoples lives: their immigration status, divorce papers, entitlements to welfare payments or ability to build a home. When people send in letters of that nature, they describe their frustration tears, anger, because theyve just tried to get a thing done, she says.
When governments communicate in ways that people dont understand, it can lead to people not engaging with services that are available to them, losing trust in government and not being able to participate fully in society, says Boyack. Those most affected are people who speak English as a second language, have not attended university, have disabilities, or are elderly.
The bill is not universally supported. Advocates say some parts lack clear-enough definitions. New Zealands opposition argue it will add further layers of bureaucracy and cost, in the form of plain-language-monitoring officials, without actually improving communication with the public. Let me speak with extremely plain language, said National MP Chris Bishop. This bill is the stupidest bill to come before parliament in this term. National will repeal it.
Labours lawmakers argue that ultimately, it will pay off via higher tax compliance, less time spent by call centres and staff dealing with a bewildered public, and increased trust in government.
Can clearer sentences really achieve all that? Possibly not. But advocates say plain language is a boon for accountability as well as comprehension. The language is a vehicle. Its just a means to an end, says Harris: it should tell people what happened, who was responsible, and what can be done.
In an ideal world, that would mean an end to artefacts such as mistakes were made: a sentence structure where errors float unencumbered by responsible parties, leaned upon by politicians and bureaucracies to obscure responsibility. One political commentator has called it the past exonerative tense and it crops up reliably in the phrasing associated with police shootings: The officers encountered a male suspect at which time an officer-involved shooting occurred, reads one Los Angeles Police Department example gathered by the Washington Post.
Language is not an objective view of reality, says linguist Dr Andreea Calude. We all use language to try and frame the kind of scene that were describing in the way that suits us. Plain language may leave a little less room for manoeuvre, she says but simpler sentences arent an automatic pathway to transparency.
I dont think plain language can really solve that problem. As long as humans are creative and playful and inventive, I think theyll find ways around it.
Excerpt from:
New Zealand hopes to banish jargon with plain language law - The Guardian
- The best New Zealand airport to fly into, according to Air New Zealand's chief pilot - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Immigration New Zealand loses track of someone due to be deported to Pacific - 1News [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- 'Aotearoa New Zealand': What if it went to a vote? - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Where every visitor to New Zealand should spend some time - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Losing citizenship: What you need to know - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- New Zealand is not the world's post-Covid future - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Covid-19: The cost of keeping New Zealand safe - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- UFO sightings over Kaikoura baffled NZ Government - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Air New Zealand settles on new in-flight snacks: Corn chips face uncertain future, while tea and coffee to be axed from some flights - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Tokyo Olympics: Women's pair rowers win New Zealand's first gold medal of the Games - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Winston Reid's New Zealand edged out by Honduras in Olympics - West Ham United F.C. [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- The cheapest and most expensive places to rent in New Zealand - Massey University report - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Study: New Zealand is the best place to wait out the apocalypse - Axios [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- New Zealand to make dawn raids apology, but the Polynesian Panthers want more than words - ABC News [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Tokyo Olympics: New Zealand eventers well-placed at completion of dressage phase - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Bathurst race switched as New Zealand and Perth cancelled - Reuters [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Tokyo Olympics 2020: New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard breaks silence on selection - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Tokyo Olympics 2020: New Zealand team finish 12th in triathlon mixed relay - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- REVIEW Olympics-Rowing-New Zealand soars in drama-drenched Tokyo Regatta - Reuters [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- UK 'closing in' on free trade agreement with New Zealand - Reuters [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Bots and scalpers: desperate Kiwis try everything to get into Fortress New Zealand - The Guardian [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- New Zealand's tiny towns with amazing treats - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Health reforms: Andrew Little's hostile reception from GPs at Wellington conference - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Geoffrey Miller: NZs Olympic-sized relationship with Japan may be about to change - RNZ [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- New Zealand to shiver this weekend as biting chill creeps across country - Newshub [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Beerly beloved: The best craft breweries you can visit in New Zealand - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Air New Zealand and Auckland International Airport downgraded by Jarden - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- New Zealand announce first Pakistan tour in 18 years - International Cricket Council [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Jacinda Ardern says there's no magic vaccine number that will see NZ open the border - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Skills crisis: Tech boss says 'anti-immigrant' New Zealand moving the goalposts - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Tokyo Olympics 2020 live updates (August 6): New Zealand athletes and events in action, how to watch in NZ, live streaming - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Tokyo Olympics: Who is New Zealand's greatest ever Olympian? - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- New Zealand alpaca Geronimo set to die in UK after Boris Johnson refuses pleas to save it - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Tokyo Olympics 2020 live updates (August 7): New Zealand athletes and events in action, how to watch in NZ, live streaming - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- From $20 boots to Olympics rugby gold: New Zealands Ruby Tui on her rise to the top - The Guardian [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- New Zealand farmers have avoided regulation for decades. Now their bill has come due - The Guardian [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Arderns popularity stumbles on New Zealands slow road to vaccination - The Guardian [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- New Zealand and LeoLabs sign multiyear deal for Space Regulatory platform - SpaceNews [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- New Zealand's Relationship May Be About to Change - The Diplomat [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Cost of Living in New Zealand: What You Should Know ... [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- New Zealand Maps & Facts - World Atlas [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- New Zealand - Geography [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Seasons in New Zealand | 100% Pure New Zealand [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- New Zealand - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2021]
- Covid 19 coronavirus: Outbreak may be 'more contained' than first feared - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Coronavirus: Concern among Kiwis in London about impact of New Zealand outbreak - Newshub [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Former elite New Zealand cyclist Cassie Cameron: My daughter will never be a cyclist - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Rugby Championship in limbo after New Zealand drops a bombshell - msnNOW [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Brits to enjoy cheaper wine prices after Brexit deal with New Zealand - Daily Express [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- The Taliban takeover and its implications for New Zealand - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Paul Coll becomes first New Zealander to win the British Open men's squash title - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- 13yo becomes one of New Zealand's youngest COVID-19 vaccine recipients at drive-through vaccination centre - Newshub [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- New Zealand has the Highest Adoption of Streaming Services, The US Ranks Sixth - Cord Cutters News [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- All Of New Zealand Remains | Scoop News - Scoop.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Rape charge against New Zealand motorsport driver Max Guilford in the US dismissed - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Opinion: Stop putting a spin on New Zealand's vaccination numbers, we are woefully behind - Newshub [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Lockdowns or vaccines? 3 Pacific nations try diverging paths - Associated Press [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Australia threatens to bill New Zealand in rugby row - FRANCE 24 [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Afghans need our help there must be no empty seats on New Zealands rescue mission - The Guardian [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Tiny New Zealand airport that tells Mori love story in running for global design award - The Guardian [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- New Zealand was set to be the first advanced economy to hike rates. One Covid case put a stop to it - CNBC [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Decision day looms as experts wonder if New Zealand will ever return to normal - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- In New Zealand it has been easy to forget Covid. Now we are too complacent - The Guardian [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2021]
- Preparing for international travel: 'People don't want a third winter in New Zealand' - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- BMW New Zealand confirms i4 pricing ahead of 2022 arrival - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- Weather: Rain, strong winds, hail and snow batter New Zealand - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- New Zealand and the West's dangerous dance with civil liberties - The National [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- New Zealand reports first COVID death in over 6 months - CBS News [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- New Zealand cases drop to 49 in reassuring indication lockdown is working - The Guardian [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- The world is desperate for new antibiotics, and New Zealand's unique fungi are a source of promising compounds - The Conversation AU [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- Social inclusion is important in Aotearoa New Zealand but so is speaking honestly about terrorism - The Conversation AU [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- 9/11 anniversary: How the attacks changed New Zealand's foreign policy - Newshub [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- Steve Hansen shoots down suggestion World 12s could hurt New Zealand Rugby - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- New Zealand records its warmest ever winter with average temperature of 9.8C - The Guardian [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- England to host New Zealand, South Africa for Tests in 2022 - FRANCE 24 [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- New Zealand records 75 cases after two days of falls - The Guardian [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- Covid-19: New Zealand's vaccine roll-out explained in 10 charts, and compared with the rest of the world - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- Extremist abused and attacked officers in New Zealand prison - ABC News [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- The Latest: Most of New Zealand to end virus lockdown - ABC News [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]
- New Zealand banks, post office hit by outages in apparent cyber attack - Reuters [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2021]