Business of Government: Plain speaking, moral panic, policy not personality, and more

Public sector leaders are dealing with issues – real and not so real. (Image: NZME/Jacques Steenkamp)

Wed, 01 Oct 2025

Plain words, plain politicsParliament's governance and administration committee has reported back on the Government’s plan to repeal the Plain Language Act.Its majority view is simple: agencies don’t need a law to write clearly, and the Act is an unnecessary piece of bureaucracy.On paper, that sounds efficient. After all, why legislate for something everyone already agrees with? Public servants should communicate in plain English without being told to do so. But out of 1,652 submissions, only nine supported repeal.In opposi...

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