Common sense prevails: Public Service Commission adopts English-first branding

The Public Service Commission and the official govt.nz website have updated their branding to put English first, a move welcomed by ACT Public Service spokesperson Todd Stephenson.

“In March, I raised concerns with the Minister for the Public Service because the Commission was failing to set the right example for other agencies,” says Mr Stephenson.

“ACT has been receiving emails almost every week from New Zealanders asking why agencies were ignoring the English-first policy, with the main www.govt.nz website still using ‘Te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa’ ahead of ‘New Zealand Government’.

“Because the Public Service Commission sets the branding guidelines across government, it was no wonder other agencies were lagging behind. I'm pleased that after writing to the Minister, the Commission has listened, updated its guidelines, and fixed its own branding.

“ACT has always been clear that we do not support costly rebrands involving consultants or flash new signage. But as Brooke van Velden proved at the Department of Internal Affairs with a digital-first rebrand for just $741, this can be done efficiently. The Commission has now followed that example.

“The English-first policy is not one of ACT’s coalition commitments, but I pursued this because it’s supported by many of ACT’s supporters. More to the point, we expect coalition agreements to be held. It's a matter of keeping promises made to New Zealanders."