Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Plain Language Act 2022

Plain language requirements

10: Plain language guidance must be issued

You could also call this:

“The law says someone must make a guide to help people write clearly”

The Commissioner must create guidance to help reporting agencies follow this Act. Before making this guidance, the Commissioner needs to talk to people or groups they think are important, and look at the best ways of writing in plain language from around the world.

The guidance must include information on how to make documents easy for everyone to understand and use, including people with disabilities. This is called making documents accessible.

When the Commissioner finishes the guidance, they need to put it on their website as soon as they can. You will be able to read it for free on this website.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM4357620.

Topics:
Government and voting > Government departments
Rights and equality > Anti-discrimination
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9: Relevant documents to use plain language, or

“Official papers must be written clearly so everyone can understand them”

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11: Plain language officers, or

“People who help government use easy-to-understand words”

Part 2 Plain language requirements

10Plain language guidance must be issued

  1. The Commissioner must issue guidance on how reporting agencies comply with this Act.

  2. Before issuing the guidance, the Commissioner must—

  3. consult the persons or organisations that the Commissioner thinks appropriate; and
    1. have regard to international best practice in connection with plain language writing.

      1. The guidance must include guidance to support the accessibility of relevant documents (including the accessibility of those documents to people with disabilities).

      2. The Commissioner must, as soon as practicable after they issue the guidance, ensure that a copy of the guidance is available free of charge on an Internet site maintained by or on behalf of the Commissioner.