Ministry of Fisheries wins ‘Plain English’ award

The State of Our Fisheries: Annual Summary 2006 was judged “Best Plain English Document in the Public Sector” at the inaugural 2006 WriteMark Awards.

Ministry of Fisheries Chief Executive John Glaister said clear communications were important everywhere, and most especially in government.

“If we are poor communicators, we risk being ignored or misunderstood,” he said. “Poor communication can affect the public’s perception of government and its work, and can cost a lot of time and money to set right.

“I am committed to improving public and stakeholder understanding of fisheries management, and the Ministry’s role in it. We owe it to the people of New Zealand – the shareholders of our fisheries – to tell them how we are managing their resource; and to tell them in a way that they understand.

“Winning the WriteMark award is a great recognition of our efforts in this area.”

The award was announced at the WriteMark Plain English Conference and Awards dinner at Te Papa on October 6.

Judges commented that The State of Our Fisheries: Annual Summary 2006 was outstanding in its consistent use of plain English.

The WriteMark Awards are promoted and administered by plain English writing consultancy and training organisation Write Group Limited.

www.writemark.co.nz