Est. 1992
COLLECTIONS – CURATED BY SIGNDNA: DEAF NATIONAL ARCHIVE
Rūaumoko Marae
Rūaumoko Marae has been part of Deaf Māori community for 30 years and is a central part of Deaf Māori community. It's a place where Deaf Māori can just be; they can connect and learn about te ao Māori.
1992
article – Taonga source: The Dominion
Needs of deaf people given ‘low’ priority
New Zealand Sign Language must be given official recognition as a language or it will die, Deaf Association President Jennifer Brain says.
2021
article – Taonga source: NZ Herald.
Deaf Northlander Eddie Hokianga urges Māori to turn their hand towards trilingual interpreter roles
Northland sign language tutor Eddie Hokianga has taken up the task of ensuring the region's deaf Māori community is heard. Hokianga (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou) has spent the last three years teaching te reo sign language to help fill a national void of interpreters fluent in the discourse.
1994
video – Taonga source: Television New Zealand Archive
NZ gets 8 more NZSL interpreters from the first AIT Diploma class
The first graduates of the Diploma in NZSL Interpreting course will start working in the community, enabling Deaf people to achieve their rights to access a range of settings and services.
1987
article – Taonga source: Sunday Times
Getting the deaf off their hands
Auckland film-maker Ann Andrews has embarked on a project that Television New Zealand initially regarded as unpalatable last year She is making a film about deaf people. Anne is allowing the deaf to use their first language – sign language.
1997
video – Taonga source: Television New Zealand Archive
Hunga Turi: Māori Deaf have their first accessible stay on a marae
‘Te Karare’ was present to witness members of the Māori Deaf community have their first accessible stay on Kokohinau marae.
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.
1993
video – Taonga source: Hilda Tamepo
Hilda Tamepo celebrates her 50th at ADS!
Hilda Tamepo celebrates her 50th birthday at the Auckland Deaf Society clubrooms. The joyous event includes speeches, dancing, and lots of food!
biography
Profile
Hemi Hema (QSM)
Hemi Hema received the Queen’s Service Medal (Q.S.M) in 2012 for his services to the Māori Deaf community. Along with Karen Pointon in the same year, Hemi was the first Māori Deaf person to receive such an honour.
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.
2004
video – Taonga source: Rūaumoko Komiti
The Māori Deaf world: Interviews with Whiti Ronaki, Stephanie Awheto and Michael Wi
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.
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.
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.
2006
article – Taonga source: Unknown
Sign of the times
Kirsten, John and Shannon are over the moon at the recognition of New Zealand Sign Language. "It was the best day for the deaf community; it felt awesome to be a part of the process and support it all the way."
2022
video – Taonga source: Māori Television
Deaf filmmaker aspires to make TV series in sign language
A turi (deaf) filmmaker hopes to create a TV series entirely in NZSL to showcase the language to the world. Jared Flitcroft (Ngāti Maniapoto) enjoys telling stories from all kinds of people and perspectives but says stories from the Māori deaf community are imperative.
1997
article – Taonga source: The Evening Post
First NZ sign language dictionary
'Wellington' and 'All Black' are just two of hundreds of familiar Kiwi terms – such as Milo, Weetbix, pakeha, Maori and marae – described in A Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language to ve released next week.
NZSL Stories
1999
video – Taonga source: Rūaumoko Komiti
Mai Time features NZSL!
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.
2022
article – Taonga source: The Northern Advocate
Northland marae set up te reo and deaf sign programmes to grow national languages
Twenty marae across Northland want to grow the number of whānau who can speak te reo Māori ... in sign language. An eight week course, He Aha, is about to get under way to help whānau improve communication with tangata turi.
1997
publication – Taonga source: National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
NFD Communicate: Winter 1997
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.
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.
2002
video – Taonga source: Kevin and Lynette Pivac
Māori & Pacific Island Deaf play against Japan Deaf Rugby XV
TVNZ’s Marae programme features the friendly game between Deaf Māori & Pacific Island Invitational XV and the Japan Deaf Rugby team. It includes the pre-match team talk with coach Richard Peri, karakia from kaumatua Ivan Tamepo, and discussions with assistant Togia Lanefale. It concludes with highlights of the match which was closely fought but finally won by Japan 20-17.
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.
1995
publication – Taonga source: National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
NFD Communicate: September 1995
NZSL Stories
1989
article – Taonga source: Wellington Deaf Society
Deaf angry at threat facing News Review
Deaf people are angered and disappointed by the threat facing the TV show News Review.
1965
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
St Dominic’s gives a Catholic education to Deaf boys and girls
Several clips of teaching and classroom scenes at St Dominic’s School for the Deaf, with one-on-one speech therapy, oral communication methods, a physical education class, the Rotarians Picnic Drive, playing with jet aeroplanes, folk dancing and their annual Christmas party.
1964
article – Taonga source: Auckland Deaf Society
Deaf Folk Conquer their Handicap
On a recent Saturday, I was lucky enough to meet members of the Auckland Deaf Society at a working bee they were holding to improve the grounds of the city's Deaf Welfare Centre. The centre, incidentially, is a very fine building – it has the biggest sports hall in Auckland with a floor area 110 by 60 feet.
NZSL Stories
2004
video – Taonga source: Rūaumoko Komiti
Patrick Thompson’s ‘Te Hēteri’ interview – unedited footage
Unedited footage of Patrick Thompson’s ‘Te Hēteri’ interview at the famed Star Sign Cafe on Auckland’s Dominion Road in 2004.
biography
Profile
Anthony ‘Tony’ Walton (CNZM)
Tony received the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2001 for his services to the Deaf community. Tony has had a broad involvement in many areas of the Deaf community, having been President of the NZ Deaf Sports Association and successfully hosting the World Deaf Games in 1989.
NZSL Stories
2014
video – Taonga source: Ministry of Education
Acknowledgements – Ko Wai Au? Who Am I? See My Voice?
An acknowledgement to all the team who helped make the Ko Wai Au? Who Am I? See My Voice? exhibition possible. Ko Wai Au is an exhibition empowering Māori rangatahi who identify as Deaf to communicate with others leading to a wider understanding of aspirations as young Deaf Māori.