Daniel Harborne 
Abused as children for using sign language and blocked from accessing te ao Māori. That was the experience of many growing up in the Māori Deaf community, who are now taking part in a landmark Waitangi Tribunal hearing this week in Auckland. Their claims are part of a wider inquiry … Read more
Did you know the NZSL Week website has an Events calendar, with a collection of NZSL Week events happening throughout New Zealand. This is a community calendar where you will be able to add your own events. There is a form for you to fill in all the information about … Read more
This year’s NZSL Week theme is NZSL is Essential. There are many reasons why NZSL would be essential to you, so this is your opportunity to film yourself telling us why NZSL is essential to you. Your video clip can be a short explanation, or you could include a little … Read more
We are REALLY excited to launch a brand-new challenge for NZSL Week!!! ANYONE can be involved! Deaf or hearing, and of all ages – we invite ALL of you to give it a go! So, what is it!? A NZSL Sign Singing challenge! Emmie Bensley, our NZSL Hero for 2022, has … Read more
Disability Rights Commissioner The DPO Coalition met with Paula Tesoriero, the Disability Rights Commissioner. They discussed the forum on New Zealand’s implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the inquiry into the experiences of disabled people during omicron. Paula gave an update on … Read more
Accelerating Accessibility Legislation. The DPO Coalition met with the team from the Ministry for Social Development who are working on the Accelerating Accessibility Legislation. The Accelerating Accessibility work is about establishing a new system to identify and remove wide-spread accessibility barriers. The DPO Coalition discussed how it should be governed … Read more
As the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care move towards the Disability and Mental Health Hearing we are beginning to put together the framework for the disability report. It is important to us that disabled people have the opportunity to provide some oversight and guidance as this report develops. as … Read more
Why are we consulting on the draft rules and guidelines on physical restraint? Kia ora and welcome to the consultation on the draft rules and guidelines on physical restraint. We know happy, healthy children who feel safe learn better. We have heard from schools, parents, whānau, and the disability community … Read more