Frequently asked questions about writing and editing

How do I know Capire will provide a good service?

Capire provides services to a wide range of government, NGO and corporate clients in New Zealand and overseas. Their repeat business testifies to the reliability, quality and value of our writing, editing and proofreading services.

In 2023, we were honoured to be named the 2023 Best Plain Language Technical Communicator by the WriteMark Plain English Awards Trust.

Our lead writer, Helen Bradford, has a postgraduate editing and proofreading qualification from Whitireia New Zealand. She is an accredited editor of the Institute of Professional Editors, and one of only six accredited editors in New Zealand. She is also an advanced professional member of the UK Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading.

Many of our clients are happy to provide references if you need further assurance of the quality of our services.

How long do writing and editing take?

Each project is different. We will discuss the requirements of your project and work out a realistic schedule with you.

The time a writing project takes required depends on factors such as the preparation you’ve already done, the amount of research required, and the length and complexity of the document you need. The time an editing project takes depends on the type of editing needed, the number of times the document needs to be edited or proofread, and the length and complexity of the document.

How do I book your services?

Our services are often booked weeks or months in advance, so it’s important to get in touch with us early. We will discuss the requirements of your project and work out a realistic schedule with you. If your timeframe shifts, it’s important to let us know, so that we can do our best to accommodate your changes and still complete your project on time

Which writing, editing or proofreading service do I need?

We provide a range of writing, editing and proofreading services. Find out more about the different services we offer and the types of projects we’ve worked on. Your project may benefit from more than one of our services, so talk to us if you’re unsure about what you need.

Which software packages do you use?

We use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. We can also edit the text of your PDF documents. If you need a more professional layout for your documents, we can create this for you using Adobe InDesign.

How can I contract you?

Most of our clients contract us using their own contracting arrangements. If you do not have a contract that you want to use, we can supply one.

New Zealand organisations that are registered to receive services through the All-of-Government consultancy services contract can contract Capire through any of these categories:

• Assurance
• Business change
• Finance and economics
• Human resource
• Marketing and public relations
• Policy, research and development.

How do you handle confidential material?

Our lead writer, Helen Bradford, has held security clearances for the UK and New Zealand governments and is experienced in handling, storing and disposing of confidential material. We are happy to sign non-disclosure agreements if you require them.

When do you expect payment?

We usually invoice when all services are complete, although for longer-term work we prefer to invoice in instalments. We expect to be paid within two weeks of invoicing. If your organisation needs different terms, please talk to us.