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3G Mobile Network Is Shutting Down in New Zealand

Kat is a Pākehā Deaf woman signing to the camera. She has short brown hair and wears brown glasses, transparent earrings, a bone fish hook pendant, and a dark blue top.

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You may have heard that 3G mobile networks are being turned off in New Zealand. This is already happening in some places, and some companies have finished turning off 3G. Soon, 3G will be completely switched off across the whole country, and it will not be turned back on.

All mobile companies are included in this change, such as 2degrees, One NZ, and Spark. It does not matter which company you use — 3G will stop working everywhere in New Zealand.

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Disability Support Services Update

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Green background. On the left, the title “Disability Support Services” with text below reading: “The changes will give more choice, control and certainty for disabled people who use flexible funding.” In the top-right corner, a picture-in-picture shows Zoe, a Pākehā Deaf woman with blonde hair wearing a black top, signing in NZSL.

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Changes from 1 April 2026 will give more choice, control, certainty, and continuity for disabled people who use flexible funding.

The changes affect people who get flexible funding – including Individualised Funding, Carer Support and some hosted Enabling Good Lives Personal Budgets. They do not apply to Choice in Community Living.

The changes reflect feedback from the disability community during consultation in 2025.

From 1 April:
- people’s allocated budgets for flexible funding will continue the same as they are now
- the purchasing rules for flexible funding will be removed
- there will be more support to help people manage their flexible funding in line with their plan

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Endometroisis Awareness Month 2026

Kat is a Pākehā Deaf woman signing to the camera. She has short brown hair and wears brown glasses, silver leaf-shaped earrings, a bone fish hook pendant, and a dark green top.

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March is Endometriosis Awareness Month.

Every March, people around the world recognise Endometriosis Awareness Month – a time to increase understanding, reduce stigma, and improve visibility and support for those affected by endometriosis.

This month gives us an opportunity to acknowledge this important issue, learn more, and make sure our workplace is informed, compassionate, and supportive.

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ANZAC Day - NZSL interpreted events

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A red poppy with a green leaf in the background. Overlaid is an illustrated interpreter wearing a dark blue top. The interpreter is a white person with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes.

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NZSL interpreters have been booked for various ANZAC Day services in Aotearoa New Zealand. Please see below dates that have been booked so far:

Saturday 25th April 2026:

Wellington - Dawn Service
5:15 - 7:15 AM at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park,
State Highway 1, Te Aro

Wellington - National Service
10:15 AM - 12:15 PM at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park,
State Highway 1, Te Aro

Porirua - Civic Service
8:30 - 10:00 AM at Te Rauparaha Park,
17 Parumoana Street, Porirua City Centre

Tauranga - Day Service
9:30 - 10:30 AM at Memorial Park,
Eleventh Avenue, Tauranga

Christchurch - Service
12:00 - 1:00 PM at Air Force Museum of New Zealand,
45 Harvard Avenue, Wigram

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Poison - a reading by Andi C. Buchanan

Andi stands outdoors among dense green trees and plants, facing the camera. They have buzzed brown hair and are wearing a striped orange, yellow, and white top with dark reddish pants, their hands tucked into the pockets.

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Join us to hear a work-in-progress reading from Andi C. Buchanan. Andi will be reading extracts from their draft Young Adult novel, Poison, which explores interdependence, community, and our expectations of self-reliance, and is filled with plants both poisoned and poisonous. Andi has been working on the novel over the last 8 weeks while on the Toi Pōneke d/Deaf and/or Disabled Artist Development Residency.

For this reading, we will have a NZSL interpreter present for our d/Deaf community members. For more information on venue accessibility, see website link.

Facebook event
https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ans3yn48d/

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Submit your community event!

A crowd of people in the background handwaving, and a woman in the foreground facing the crowd, her hands up in the air.

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Did you know the NZ Sign Language website has an Events calendar?

This is a community calendar where you will be able to add your own events that are accessible to the Deaf community.

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Platform Interpreting NZ's upcoming NZSL interpreted events

Check out Platform Interpreting NZ’s upcoming NZSL‑interpreted events. Their website features a regularly updated list of community, public, and cultural events supported by qualified NZSL interpreters—making it easier for Deaf and hard‑of‑hearing audiences to attend and fully participate.

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Want to see more information in NZSL?

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Information in New Zealand Sign Language is made available from various sources. We strive to bring all these NZSL Translations together into one place for your convenience - on our website.

Feel free to let us know of any NZSL Translations that are not available here so that we may add them.

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Full access and participation for
Deaf in Aotearoa / New Zealand

GENERAL ENQUIRIES 8223

Phone: 0800 33 23 22

Email: hello@deaf.org.nz

Freetext: 8223

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