Sonia Pivac

In April 2006, New Zealand Parliament declared NZSL to be an official language - the culmination of a 20-year battle by the deaf community, and a true hallmark in the recognition of their native language. 'Sign of the Times' is about the deaf New Zealanders who fought to have their language recognised as a real language and as a viable means of communication. The film documents the community's celebration of the official recognition of their language and looks at the community's ongoing hopes and aspirations for their language and culture.

Comprehensive footage of the participants and activities at the 1996 Summer Deaf Youth Camp in Otaki.

In NZSL with subtitles in Māori and English; created in collaboration with native speakers of NZSL, Māori & English, and sign language linguists from the Deaf community, with the purpose to create a NZSL translation that was true to the meaning behind the Māori & English lyrics.

Auckland Deaf Society’s annual picnic at Long Bay where members compete in the 100m sprint (and fake starts!) and the boys show off their bodybuilding moves.

Auckland Deaf Society, about to close for a total building redevelopment, hosts a final social event: a Mardi Gras at the Deaf Club.

The Northern Deaf womens’ team wins the third sevens tournament, comfortably beats Central 60-0 and Southern 34-0. Southern beats Central 34-5.

In the early 1990s, due to a breakthrough in technology, cochlear implants were starting to become the norm. The Deaf community worldwide viewed cochlear implants as a device that disregarded the need for access to sign language. Others considered such devices a miracle. In 1993, ‘60 Minutes’ investigated this controversial topic in New Zealand.

In August 2014, the Ministry of Education brought Deaf students together from across New Zealand for a weekend of ideas, learning and friendship. The Ministry called the hui to better understand what school is really like for Deaf students and to gather their ideas on how things could be improved. This video captures the workshops, fun activities and growing friendships that happened over the weekend.

Coverage of the participants and activities enjoyed at the 1995 Northern Deaf Youth Camp in Lake Whakamaru, Waikato.

'Strangers' was a TVNZ-produced drama series for children, with one Deaf character played by 7-year-old Sonia Pivac. Reporter Phil Keoghan, from ‘Spot On’, interviews Sonia about being the only Deaf actor in the drama.

'Strangers' was a TVNZ-produced drama series, including one Deaf character played by 7-year-old Sonia Pivac. This short documentary is a brief look behind the scenes of the filming process.

An action filled evening at ADS with a Deaf modelling show followed by an Auckland Deaf Drag Queen contest and finally a derby race competition!

A 43-minute documentary taking you through the history of Auckland Deaf Society, the second home of the Deaf community of Auckland.

The grit! The determination! The hours of practice! Finally it’s game day for the first Deaf Netball New Zealand versus Australia in Manawatu. Watch highlights of the gameplay followed by expert post-match analysis and limbo shenanigans at MDS. Good times.

The Auckland Deaf Society Netball team celebrates their 25th Jubilee in April, 2000.