
1946
article – Taonga source: NZ Tablet
Making the Deaf Hear and the Dumb Speak: The Splendid Work of St. Dominic’s School, Wellington.
Two years ago, the New Zealand Dominicians opened a Catholic school for deaf children at 15 Dover Street, Island Bay, Wellington. The article records the impressions of a Wellington journalist who visited the school recently.

1944
article – Taonga source: NZ Tablet
Catholic Education For Deaf-Mute Children
The story of Catholic Deaf-Mute education, what has been done for deaf students by Dominican Nuns, and the new St. Dominic’s School for Deaf Children in Wellington.

1991
article – Taonga source: The Chronicle
Coping with deafness in a hearing world
Cushla and Brian talk about their lives – being Deaf, their experiences at school, employment, and communication.

2012
publication – Taonga source: Oticon Foundation
Soundscape: March 2012

2016
article – Taonga source: Manawatū Standard
Teaching the deaf since 1973
Teaching for almost 50 years has proved a rewarding career for Terry O'Brien, who has witnessed the development of deaf education. He has seen the transition of deaf education from an emphasis on teaching verbally and through text, to an emphasis on Signed English then NZSL in the 90s.

biography
Profile
Jennifer Brain (QSM)
Jennifer received the Queens Service Medal in 2007 for services to the New Zealand Deaf Community. She was well known for her leadership with the New Zealand Association for the Deaf. Jennifer became the first Deaf Leadership Tutor promoting community and Deaf youth leadership, before becoming the first Deaf Chief Executive Officer in 1999. Through her work, Jennifer was ahead of her time with the strategic planning of many Deaf community projects including Deaf awareness and Deaf leadership.

1995
video – Taonga source: Television New Zealand Archive
Michael Wi, Māori Deaf
Michael Wi, is profiled on ‘Marae’, where he shares his experience of growing up as Māori Deaf in a paheka-centric education environment, and learning as an adult about tikanga Māori, and marae protocols.



2016
video – Taonga source: Attitude Pictures
Deaf Teen’s New School
Gaby Evans is 13 and moving hundreds of kilometres from her rural home to Auckland's Kelston Deaf Education Centre. Until now she's been isolated, and never had to know how to sign. If she's going to make it on her own she's going to have to come out of her shell and learn to communicate with her deaf classmates.




1972
publication – Taonga source: New Zealand Deaf News
NZ Deaf News: 1972 (Vol. 9, No. 4)
NZSL Stories


1996
Images – Taonga source: Auckland Deaf Society
Group Photo: Northern Team, 39th N.Z. Deaf Games, Auckland 1996


NZSL Stories


1993
article – Taonga source: The Evening Post
Advanced computer data base backs NZ’s first sign language dictionary
Managing editor Professor Graeme Kennedy said the project had developed the most advanced computer database in the world for analysing and recording sign language.
NZSL Stories


1998
publication – Taonga source: National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
NFD Communicate: Summer 1998










Est. 1958
COLLECTIONS – CURATED BY SIGNDNA: DEAF NATIONAL ARCHIVE
Kelston Deaf Education Centre (Ko Taku Reo)
Kelston Deaf Education Centre (now Ko Taku Reo; previously Kelston School for the Deaf). Kelston was established on a site in Archibald Road in 1958. The school had relocated firstly from Titirangi, then from Mt Wellington. KDEC used to provide education in a range of satellite classes throughout Auckland the upper North Island. Kelston, which also hosts Rūaumoko Marae, merged with van Asch Deaf Education Centre to become Ko Taku Reo in 2020.


biography
Profile
Lynette Pivac (MBE)
In 1996, Lynette was awarded the Member of British Empire for her services in Deaf education and sign language. She mostly initiated the development of NZSL resources, the training of NZSL tutors and involvement in NZSL teaching issues at national level. She advocated for NZSL and Deaf Studies to be introduced into Deaf education and was the first Deaf Board of Trustees Chairperson.


1991
publication – Taonga source: National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
NFD Journal: March 1991 (Vol. 5, No. 1)




NZSL Stories






COLLECTIONS – CURATED BY SIGNDNA: DEAF NATIONAL ARCHIVE
Deaf View conferences
The series of national Deaf View conferences have been organised by Deaf people in New Zealand spanning three decades. Each conference has successfully created a platform for better awareness and understanding of Deaf culture and NZSL language; and nurturing links for a stronger Deaf community at a local, national and international level. They also celebrated the rich achievements and diversity of the Deaf community over the past 30 years as well as often pointing the way forwards, for a better resourced and more empowered Deaf community.


1978
video – Taonga source: Television New Zealand Archive
Total Communications camp, shown on ‘The South Tonight’
New Zealand's first total communications camp for Deaf children takes place in Tautuku, South Otago.








1992
video – Taonga source: Television New Zealand Archive
NZSL interpreting course begins
The first NZSL interpreting course has recently started in Auckland, being led by Drs. David and Rachel McKee. We take a peek at one of their NZSL classes, and Rachel predicts the areas of work graduates will go into.








1992
video – Taonga source: Television New Zealand Archive
New Zealand Police Commissioner considers Deaf access to justice
Two weeks after 'The Remand of Ivan Curry' screens on TV1, Police Commissioner John Jamieson meets with Jennifer Brain to work out better procedures for dealing with Deaf people in custody.








2019
article – Taonga source: Stuff
Deaf children need better access to New Zealand Sign Language to close the education gap
Lack of access to interpreters means deaf children are missing out on education. There are about 3600 children in the deaf education system, of which about 96 per cent attend mainstream schools. There are just three NZSL educational interpreters working full time with students, meaning most children were missing out.




1995
publication – Taonga source: National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
NFD Communicate: July 1995




NZSL Stories


1982
article – Taonga source: Wellington Deaf Society
Coping in a hearing world
Rachel Noble and Donna Allen, both 17 and profoundly deaf, talk about their experiences in education.




1989
article – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
Fielding school for deaf closes
New Government policy on educating disabled children has ended more than three decades of teaching deaf children at St Dominic's in Feilding.







1980
publication – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
Ephpheta: December 1980 (Vol. 3, No. 4)







1996
video – Taonga source: Television New Zealand Archive
Deaf Awareness Week 1996
Deaf Awareness Week 1996 begins, with a spotlight on Des Barton, who finds the latest technology in hearing aids a great improvement. Angela Sew Hoy highlights that the week is aiming to raise awareness about Deaf people, their language and culture.








1954
article – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
School For The Deaf Is £68,000 Addition To Catholic Charities
The new St. Dominic's School for deaf children, which is set in spacious 23-acre grounds and can accommodate between 40 and 50 children, is the only institution for deaf children in New Zealand not operated by the State.







1944
article – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
FOR DEAF & DUMB, CATHOLIC SCHOOL, TUITON BY DOMINICANS
In spite of wet weather, there was a large attendance of Catholic clergy and public at the blessing and opening of St. Dominic's School for the Deaf and Dumb, at Dover Street, Island Bay, yesterday afternoon. This school, conducted by the Sisters of St. Dominic, is the first Catholic School for the education of deaf-mutes to be established in New Zealand.







biography
Profile
John Rua (Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal)
John Rua is a Master Carver, a living tohunga in his art. He has carved thousands of stunning artefacts which have been displayed in maraes and museums across the country, including the carving of Te Tira Hou meeting house in Auckland, Ohope Marae in Whatakane and Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum in the South Island. His most noticeable achievement was training carvers at the Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae in Christchurch, a project which took 8 years to complete.


1971
publication – Taonga source: New Zealand Deaf News
NZ Deaf News: 1971 (Vol. 8, No. 2)
NZSL Stories


1995
publication – Taonga source: Deaf Education History Aotearoa NZ
Yearbook: van Ash Deaf Education Centre, 1995






