Citizens Advice Bureau Awarded Plain Language Champion For 2021

“We are absolutely delighted that our organisation has been acknowledged in this year’s Plain English Awards as the Best Organisation - Plain English Champion,” says Dr Andrew Hubbard, Citizens Advice Bureau Acting Chief Executive.

“It is an acknowledgement of the work of our 2,500 volunteers across Aotearoa who deliver our service to clients in a way that is both easy for them to understand, and that also includes empathy and respect for those clients.”

Dr Hubbard says that making it easy for everyone to understand and act on their rights is a key part of the work of Citizens Advice Bureau and so he was particularly pleased to see the judges' comments. One judge commented that "This is the most complete example of Plain English that I have seen. I can’t speak highly enough of their work and the way they provide their information to all that use CAB".

Another judge was “particularly impressed by CAB’s understanding of how communicating clearly — whether it’s face-to-face, over the phone, using web-chat, through email and other written communication or via their website — is key to their effectiveness. And then they take it one extra step to acknowledge the importance of communicating with empathy and respect on top of that!”

“It's more important than ever that people have access to really clear and simple information which meets their needs,” says Dr Hubbard. He notes that the CAB is also very proud that the organisation’s website www.cab.org.nz received an Award of Distinction as a finalist in the Best Plain English Website — Public Sector category. "It's a fantastic achievement for our small but very talented team of content writers”.

“Every year we help more than 400,000 people directly and have more than 2 million people visit our website because they need our help. Our success in these awards demonstrates how effective community organisations like ours are because we develop all our information based on community need,” says Dr Hubbard.

Further information

The Plain English Awards are organised by the WriteMark Plain English Awards Trust, as part of a movement to replace “gobbledygook” in office and business writing. Entries are judged by independent panels of plain English experts and advocates.

CAB is a nationwide, but locally based, community organisation. We help people to know and understand their rights and obligations - using plain language, and how to use this information to get the best outcomes. We provide people with the confidence and support they need to act.

We use insights from our clients’ experiences to work for positive social change. Our service is delivered by 2,500 trained volunteers around Aotearoa.

The aims of Citizens Advice Bureau are to:

ensure that individuals do not suffer through ignorance of their rights and responsibilities, or of the services available, or through an inability to express their needs effectively; and exert a responsible influence on the development of social policies and services, both locally and nationally.

Want to find out more about the CAB? Check out our plain language website: www.cab.org.nz

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