John Hunt

There was also no Association for Deaf Sports when John moved to New Zealand. At a meeting in Wellington in 1963, they agreed to set up rules/by-laws and at its AGM, John was selected Secretary which he dedicated 10 years to. He was also Vice President of the association, before being made a life member.

John talks about his experiences working as the first Deaf Field Officer for the Deaf Association – two and half years – and the infamous ‘Deaf nod.’

John Hunt's involvement with NZ Deaf News spanned 23 years. Upon moving to New Zealand in 1962, he was surprised to find out that there was no NZ Deaf News at a time where radio and TV (which was inaccessible for Deaf people) were one of the main medium of news. He established the NZ Deaf News publication with a group of 10 people. The first issue was only 8 pages and with donations, the next one was 16 pages. It grew exponentially and was the place to go for Deaf-related news.