Henry Clark

This segment from Māori TV’s Te Hēteri focuses on the experiences of Māori Deaf, catching up with Patrick Thompson, Whiti Ronaki, and Hemi Hema.

The Deaf Association of New Zealand opens its new offices on Great North Road, Avondale, Auckland in November 1999.

Mai Time made one of their episodes accessible in NZSL to mark Deaf Awareness Week 1999. KDEC’s sign singing choir and Patrick Thompson made an appearance along with as did Rūaumoko Marae’s kapa haka roopu.

This raw, edited footage consists of interviews with Whiti Ronaki, Michael Wi and Stephanie Awheto - a trilingual interpreter, on topics relevant in the Māori Deaf world.

Insight into the preparations that go into a powhiri onto Rūaumoko Marae, and rare footage of the powhiri itself, followed by an interview with Patrick Thompson.

Weekend celebrations are kickstarted with a Māori Deaf kapa haka group to perform a haka powhiri. Vintage teachers such as Les Bury briefly summarise their experiences of working in Deaf education over the years.

The 1st National Deaf Youth Camp – April 2005 at Finlay Adventure Park, Cambridge – was supported and organised by DEAFinitely Youth Group (DYG). It was founded in 2000 to host the 2nd Asia-Pacific Deaf Youth Camp, and it went on to support the 1st NDYC with 25 participants and 5 different workshops.

Māori Deaf participating in a hīkoi (protest march) in support of Māori claims of ownership of the New Zealand foreshore and seabed.