Submission on the Plain Language Act Repeal Bill

Sent in by: Rock the Vote NZ Date: May 14, 2025

Rock the Vote NZ has, after much deliberation and debate, felt that the Plain Language Act Repeal Bill ought to be rejected in favour of keeping the Plain Language Act; we set out the reasons why below:

The Plain Language Act aims to ensure that communications between the Government and the public are clear, crisp, and use common language, avoiding any technical or legal language so the layman, who works 40 hours a week and wants to put food on the table for himself and/or family, can understand what is going on with their protectorate and have a clear understanding of how the Government will protect and support them when needed.

The main reason put forward by the current Government for removing the Act is that it uses up resources to ensure that communications are clear and that they do not need legislation to use common sense. It is surely common sense to use such language to be clear with the public, anyway, right?

Why do we need legislation to ensure this?

This was a point of thought for Rock the Vote NZ—surely we can just trust the Government to be clear with its people, anyway?

However, this comes down to a general trend in recent legislation: we are trying to legislate common sense back into governance and law due to an apparent lack of it in the current political climate. Ultimately—and perhaps unfortunately—Rock the Vote NZ agrees with the notion that we need to have some legislation to ensure that basic things are followed in society, and ensuring that the Government is clear with its people is one of them.

Surely, why are we legislating common sense? Can’t we just trust people to do their jobs and act rationally? Statistically, no. For example:

1. We have seen our associate John Armstrong and Reunite NZ struggle to get clear communications from the Government regarding the Pfizer contract, with officials constantly giving him the run-around.

2. We have had committee members try to obtain their RG9 and RG27 source documents from the Government and encounter massive lies, deceptive language, and trickery due to officials’ incompetence. The entire Covid pandemic was a mess of miscommunication between Central Government and the public.

3. The entire Covid pandemic was a mess of miscommunication between Central Government and the public, and, with all the suspected malice, officials needed to word things a certain way to keep.

We urge the select committee to consider what would happen if a future Government were corrupt and did not need to ensure good communication, changing its internal policy to suit itself. Good governance considers the future, not just the present, to gain votes and save face.

Unfortunately, due to apparent incompetence—save for malice when the facts are put to them—the Plain Language Act needs to remain in place as a way to require good and clear communication. Repealing the Act will close off an avenue to ensure good communication from the Government. Communication is one of the most important things needed in a modern, strong, and democratic Government.

Further, we recommend that, if the Act remains, it should include an official dictionary reference guide for all future communications where terms are not defined in legislation. For example, it could be Black’s Law Dictionary, the New Zealand Law Dictionary, or a custom dictionary created by the legislators.

We believe the cost of the Act is insignificant; yes, there is a cost, but the benefit of keeping it outweighs the negatives.

In summary:

• Rock the Vote NZ believes the Plain Language Act should remain in place to ensure communications are clear and easy to understand. Thus, we recommend that the Government reject the Plain Language Act Repeal Bill.

• Rock the Vote NZ does not have confidence in Government departments to use sensible language and, depending on how controversial the topic is, may use trickery with their language to give people the run-around, especially in relation to OIAs and sensitive topics such as ordering source documents RG9 and RG27.

• The Plain Language Act should be updated to include an official dictionary for the Government to follow in its communications with the public.

Thank you for this opportunity to hear us out.

Rock The Vote NZ