Medical Assurance Society

Judge Peter Russell with Lindsay Huthnance, MAS

Document name

MAS House and Contents Insurance

Judges’ comment

The policy meets a high standard overall. With some refinements to the structure and headings, it will be a very successful document.

Media statement

We are delighted to win the Best Plain English Turnaround award for our new House and Contents policies.

The Canterbury earthquakes have reaffirmed how important it is that insurance companies deliver on their promises. MAS is a mutual and we value the trust our Members place in us. We want to make sure they know what their policies cover and do not cover — before they need to claim.

Our old policy was short by industry standards, but combined our House and Contents covers in one document that contained complex language, which left the level of cover and benefits open to differing interpretations.

In 2014 we replaced all our household insurance policy wordings with fresh new documents that, while longer, are reader-friendly and easy to understand and interpret. This project saw us create separate policies for our House and Contents insurance.

We believe these new policies will help our Members avoid surprises at claim time, and receive outcomes that meet their expectations in what can be traumatic circumstances.

We are delighted to have this confirmation that our new policies achieve high standards of plain English and are confident our efforts will help renew trust in the industry, ensuring that insurance is not just a commodity purchase.

Lindsay Huthnance
Communications Manager