Ever tried to read a government document? Most people find the language confusing and very technical.
In 2010, the United States of America passed United States Plain Writing Act. This law required the government to make all public (government) documents in simple and clear language so everyone might understand it.
Today, 12 years later, New Zealand has also passed a similar Act.
The Plain Language Act makes it necessary for all government departments to make their communication available in a simple language so that everyone might understand it.
Majority of New Zealanders understand English. Maori is an important language too. The law requires the government to share documents in English.
Why is this good?
The benefits are obvious. If government orders and communication is in an easy language, more people can understand it. The political parties – Labour, Green, and Maori, supported the Act.
And the flip side is…
The National Party, the only party to oppose the Bill, said that this was “a solution looking for a problem.”
They said that this will create more bureaucracy because new “Plain Language Officers” will need to be recruited.
We also think that if there is no check process in the implementation of this law, it might become possible for the Plain Language Officers to misrepresent the orders. This is a very high trust role.
What do you think?