OnePath Life (NZ) Limited
ANZ Life and Living Insurance — Policy Document
Winner: Best Plain English Legal Document
Judge Andrea Dickens with Melanie Biss
Judges' comment
Many policy documents like this are off-putting and impenetrable. You’ve managed to avoid that with clear, short sentences that are easy to read. You’ve also made great use of personal pronouns (‘we’, ‘you’) to speak directly to the reader and to make it clear who’s responsible for what.
Generally you’ve used very plain language. It’s direct and to the point.
This is an excellent document overall, as the WriteMark shows. It uses the lower-order aspects of plain language (word choice, sentence structure) as well as the higher-order aspects (task orientation, structure, navigation) and layout (emphasis, line length) to communicate to the consumer.
Our only concern is that you missed the opportunity to use consumer testing to fine-tune this excellent document. The table of contents is a little disorienting, but about five consumer tests would have revealed that weakness and undoubtedly others that we missed. We urge you to incorporate testing when developing documents in future.
Media statement
ANZ Wealth is pleased that our ANZ Life & Living Insurance Policy Document has won Best Plain English Legal Document.
Our Life & Living Insurance is designed to help customers protect what matters most — no matter what. The policy document explains everything a customer needs to know before they buy the insurance — including what they can claim for.
Our new policy document is easy for staff to explain, and will enable customers to make easier decisions with greater trust. It stands out as a policy document that can truly be understood by the customer.