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1994
article – Taonga source: City Voice

In the mainstream

Theresa Newson and Maria Griffiths are completely deaf. They are also students at St Catherine's College, Kilbirnie. Their mothers looked at several schools in the Wellington region because they wanted their daughters to stay at home rather than go to Van Asch.
1983
article – Taonga source: NZ Herald

Sign Language Puts The Deaf in Tune

The Deaf Sign Singers have a busy schedule this year with performances throughout the North Island.
NZSL Stories
  • Shona McGhie
  • Susie Ovens
1983
article – Taonga source: The Evening Post

Speech for the deaf

The Minister of Broadcasting was getting in some last-minute swot on sign language, in preparation for a speech tonight to an audience made up mainly of deaf people.
1985
article – Taonga source: The Evening Post

An ear for the deaf

The 600 people in Wellington at last have their own sign interpreter. Rachel Locker was appointed as sign language interpreter for the deaf on Monday.
NZSL Stories
  • Tony Walton
1989
article – Taonga source: The Press

Big sporting event on shoestring budget

The Games will be about the same size as the 1974 sporting extravaganza in Christchurch, the Commonwealth Games. Yet it has been orchestrated on a budget of $700,000 – about one-third of the cost of the opening ceremony planned for the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.
NZSL Stories
  • Tony Walton
  • Jeff Went
1987
article – Taonga source: The Dominion

An actor learns about being deaf

Children Of A Lesser God, a play that tackles the communication problems faced by deaf people, opens at Circa tomorrow night. Suzanne Pollard talks to two of the cast about their roles.
1973
publication – Taonga source: New Zealand Deaf News

NZ Deaf News: 1973 (Vol. 10, No. 4)

NZSL Stories
  • John Mansell
  • Kevin Pivac
2012
video – Taonga source: Attitude Pictures

My Deaf Parents

Parents and teenagers don't always see eye to eye, but what if they speak a different language? This CODA family, with Deaf parents, is learning how to keep the lines of communication.
Attitude Pictures
2006
article – Taonga source: Unknown

Breaking the sound barrier

Growing up in Feilding Della Roache used to like going to the pub to pick up her dad. Now she's the bar manager at the Himatangi Beach Cosmopolitan Club. And she's deaf.
1989
article – Taonga source: Wellington Deaf Society

Letter to the Editor: Deaf Demand

The Wellington Association for Deaf Children writes to the editor covering Total Communication, the difficulties in the school system, the need for an interpreting training programme, and the need for deaf people to make their own decisions.
Wellington Deaf Society
NZSL Stories
  • Jeff Went
2006
article – Taonga source: Unknown

NZ sign language becomes official – Capital D for deaf?

The room is full of waving hands and exaggerated facial gestures. Even though the room is silent the dozen women are "talking" with each other just as volubly as if they were having a chinwag. It is a women's only class in New Zealand's latest offical language - NZSL.
1996
video – Taonga source: Television New Zealand Archive

Patrick Thompson discusses upcoming wānanga for Māori Deaf

Patrick Thompson is interviewed on the ‘Marae’ programme, a bilingual Māori and English language current affairs show, about setting up a wānanga to enable Māori Deaf to access te reo Maori and Tikanga Maori.
Television New Zealand Archive
1993
article – Taonga source: Contact

Hands says it all

Kevin Stokes wishes more people spoke his language. He would also like to see it recognised, as New Zealand's third official language, alng with English and Maori.
NZSL Stories
  • Tony Walton
1998
article – Taonga source: The Dominion

New Zealand’s first bilingual deaf unit

New Zealand's first official "bilingual" deaf unit attached to a primary school will be opened next week. The unit teaches both NZSL and English. Mr Buchanan, who will head the unit, is one of six deaf teachers teaching the deaf in New Zealand.
1983
publication – Taonga source: New Zealand Deaf News

NZ Deaf News: October 1983 (Vol. 20, No. 4)

NZSL Stories
  • Pam Croskery
  • Tony Walton
  • Jeff Went
  • Susie Ovens
  • Janet Watt
  • Shona McGhie
  • Jonathan Anton
1987
article – Taonga source: Wellington Deaf Society

A silence full of sounds

Wellington actor Miranda Harcourt who plays Sarah in Children of a Lesser God, understands her character's sentiments. She spent eight months learning sign language before the play opened at Dunedin's Fourtune Theatre in October.
Wellington Deaf Society
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.
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.
2019
video – Taonga source: Merge NZ

Interview: Jamie Brown from Merge NZ talks about the impacts and benefits of learning NZSL

Jaime Brown, Merge NZ Co-Director, learned NZSL and didn't just find a language, but a community and a passion. Seecus talks to Jaime about the impacts NZSL has had for her and the benefits of learning sign language.
Merge NZ
1960
article – Taonga source: The Auckland Star

A winter treat for the deaf

A group of 44 deaf youngsters from Kelston School for the Deaf take a two-day visit to the Ruapehu snowfields.
1992
article – Taonga source: Nelson Mail

Living in a silent world

This week is Deaf Awareness Week. Nelson Mail reporter interviewed two women from Nelson's deaf community this week: Fliss Maera and Susan Thomas. The Nelson Club has between 25 to 30 members.
NZSL Stories
  • Tony Walton
1992
article – Taonga source: Western Leader

Deaf learn Maori culture

A Maori house of learning for deaf children was opened at the Kelston Deaf Education Centre in Auckland yesterday after many hours of voluntary work by deaf adults and pupils.
1987
article – Taonga source: Wellington Deaf Society

Making sense of silence

The play, Children of a Lesser God, opens at Wellington's Circa Theatre next week. The theatre is arranging a special showing of the play, with an interpreter, for deaf people, their families and tutors.
Wellington Deaf Society
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.
1993
video – Taonga source: Television New Zealand Archive

Spotlight on Pasifika Deaf

Tangata Pasifika visits Kelston Deaf Education Centre and meets with a number of Pasifika Deaf students part of the school’s transition programme, interviewing Rosie Amituanai and her family.
Television New Zealand Archive
1985
article – Taonga source: Unknown

Ready to lend helping hands to deaf

The class of eight graduates tonight after four months' study learning the variety of sign language used by New Zealand deaf people.
1953
article – Taonga source: NZ Tablet

IS THERE NO HOPE AT ALL? Plight of Deaf Children

St. Dominic's is a mile or so on the Palmerston side of Feilding. Set back across the railway line from the highway is a fine old country mansion framed by trees and lawns. At one side are the former barns and stables, now being used as temporary classrooms. On the other side the builders are busy completing new classrooms for use next year; when these are finished they will begin work on the children's new sleeping quarters adjoining.
1997
article – Taonga source: The Dominion

Going in to bat for deaf cricketers

The New Zealand cricket team beat Australia at the Petone Recreation Ground. You would be forgiven for not knowing the match was on. Media coverage, or rather the lack of it, is a major problem for disabled sport.
1980
article – Taonga source: NZ Woman’s Weekly

Helen Keller: The great made her their heroine

To mark the centenary of the birth of Helen Keller on June 27, 1880, Pat Dugale has written about unusual experiences in her life.
2014
article – Taonga source: The Wellingtonian

A modern tale of two deaf children

Deaf pupil Rahui Lee, 11, leads the year 7 and 8 class in a sign language game of mastermind, in which pupils have to guess a mystery four-digit number by signing.