SignDNA is the home of Aotearoa New Zealand’s visual Deaf history.

How deaf is deaf? To be eligible as a "deaf" competitor a person must have a 56 percent hearing loss in their best ear. Every country in the games has to check all its competitors before they attend but a back up is brought in to prevent cheating.

Some good has resulted from the tragic case of deaf man Ivan Curry who was found not guilty after nearly two years in jail for murder, says the Deaf Association.

Former New Zealand titleholder Stewart Smith (Auckland Deaf Welfare League Bowling Club) was one of the early qualifiers in the Indoor Bowls Association's annual Queen's Birthday tournament.

Two Auckland sisters are helping deaf people living in isolation connect with others through a cooking class. Yolanda Sutton began the cooking class with her deaf sister Natasha Jumelet after they formed the Deaf Wellbeing Society.

Northland sign language tutor Eddie Hokianga has taken up the task of ensuring the region's deaf Māori community is heard. Hokianga (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou) has spent the last three years teaching te reo sign language to help fill a national void of interpreters fluent in the discourse.

Nine third-formers, all described as "profoundly deaf", began secondary school this year at Hutt Valley Memorial Technical College.

Poor access to emergency services for the deaf could result in a death unless some action is taken soon, say advocates for the deaf. A petition has just been launched to ask Telecom to provide a relay service for that deaf people can call for help.