Good to read
I'm a professional writer specialising in clarity.
I can align your communications with your strategic plan, to help you get the most from your people and resources.
Long form, short form, your copy is safe with me. I listen, I'm quick, and I respect your readers' intelligence.
I can turn the most complex language into clear, concise content that's just right for your audience.
I trained as a journalist and worked in corporate communications before co-founding one of New Zealand's first digital content companies, Writeclick, in 2005. It was the early days and we still had to explain what 'content' was. Imagine!
I was lucky enough to work with wonderful teams of designers, writers and editors - and for many lovely clients. Writeclick was on the government's preferred supplier panel for technical writing and I'm very proud of what our hard-working little team achieved.
Ten years was time for a change and these days I'm enjoying freelancing for clients old and new, for web and print. I work from Gisborne for clients all over New Zealand.
These are some of my recent projects.
Brochure and web copywriting to promote this exclusive Wanaka estate to an international market.
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Translating a technical guide into plain English to help farmers protect their irrigation gear in bad weather.
Social media strategy and implementation, and rewriting the content for the Trust's new site.
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Givealittle gives a lot! I wrote a series of case studies for this popular crowd funding website.
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Go Bamboo is on a mission to keep plastic out of the oceans, one elegant bamboo peg at a time. I helped them with copywriting for their new site.
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The ClearMark Awards celebrate the best of plain language in America. I served on an international panel of judges in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
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Momentum is Opus International's client magazine covering thought leadership in engineering and design. I wrote a series of articles for the April 2015 issue.
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ASPEQ are international assessment specialists - they make sure people in high stakes positions are qualified to be there. My job was to make sure the copy on their site was clear-cut.
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Red Cross have a lot of good stories to share. I worked with their Wellington HQ on a content strategy to streamline their print and digital communications.
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Plain English editing for the Palmerston North City Council's website.
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Government & public sector
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment | Sorted.org.nz | Ministry for Culture and Heritage | National Library of New Zealand Human Rights Commission | Ministry of Education | Housing New Zealand Corporation | Wellington City Council | Gisborne District Council | Education New Zealand | Serious Fraud Office | New Zealand Transport Agency | Inland Revenue
Corporate
AIA Insurance | Atlantic Pacific American Express | Kensington Swan | Kiwibank | National Bank | Meridian | NZ Post | State | Forsyth Barr | Eastland Group | Weta Digital | Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou | Mercury Energy | Clemenger BBDO
Heartland
Pasture Renewal Charitable Trust | Beef + Lamb NZ | Farmax | Figured | Ingham | Massey University | Sirona
Thank you so much for your assistance with our project. You have directly influenced the volume of overwhelming positive feedback we are receiving.
Lee Hales, GivealittleMelua has worked alongside the Opus team for the past two years on a range of projects. What we appreciate most about working with Melua is her ability to understand the nuances of our organisation, her superior communications skills, and her ability and willingness to go the extra mile.
Lauren Gibson, Opus InternationalWe had an impossible timeline. Melua was unflappable and moved mountains for us… delivering beautiful, easy-to-understand words and more. Not only did she deliver, but kept us on time, on track, and smiling. I’m happy to recommend her wholeheartedly.
Lisa Wilde, Beef + Lamb NZTimeframes are tight, expectations are high and we didn’t consider anyone else for the job.
Emma Saunders, EmpathyWorking with Melua was a similar experience to the principles of plain English: straightforward, clear, friendly and informative.
Michelle Tayler, Ministry for Culture and HeritageMelua quickly got to grips with who we are, delivering a solid strategic social media plan backed-up with practical tips. She is generous with her time and advice.
Paula Granger, Antarctic Heritage TrustThe best way to contact me is by email and I'll get back to you within 24 hours. Drop me a line about your project for a free quote.
Email: melua@meluawatson.nz
Phone: 027 276 5494
Skype: melua.watson