This New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week, which runs from Monday 8th to Sunday 14th May, Deaf Aotearoa is encouraging Kiwis to put their hands up and give signing a go to promote inclusivity for the Deaf community.

Lachlan Keating, Chief Executive of Deaf Aotearoa, says learning a few basic signs can make a big difference in the lives of Deaf people. "It's not about getting it perfect, it's about giving it a go. By including more NZSL in our lives, we can make our Deaf community feel seen and valued.

"Learning NZSL is not only beneficial for the Deaf community, but it's also a fun and engaging way to celebrate diversity and learn about different cultures," he says.

Schools have embraced NZSL Week in recent years, with hearing tamariki learning basic signs. "New Zealand adults can learn from their children and follow their example by giving signing a go,” says Keating. “And for those wanting to extend their fluency, we have NZSL classes taught by members of our Deaf community all over the country – it’s fun, and quite addictive once you start!”

The face for this year’s campaign is Jon Tai-Rakena, a Deaf man who was raised in Hamilton and is the eldest of seven siblings.

“After growing up using NZSL and realising that most New Zealanders couldn’t easily communicate with me, I wanted be part of the change,” he says. “Now I work as an NZSL tutor under Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education, and I’m studying towards a certificate in Deaf Studies teaching NZSL.

“I’m passionate about teaching Kiwi’s NZSL. It’s definitely time for the Deaf community to shine, I’d love to see Deaf people out there in the spotlight as equals in Aotearoa,” he says.

Keating says he has been encouraged by the number of large corporates and media outlets getting in behind NZSL Week this year.

“We have had support from Bunnings, Spark, BNZ and many, many others who are putting up posters around their offices and committing to some of the challenges we have.

“This year we have our successful NZSL Leaders Challenge again, which will see leaders in the business community learn a simple phrase in NZSL, film themselves signing it and upload it to social media with the hashtag #NZSLLeadersChallenge23,” he says. “We have also introduced a ‘Seven Minutes of Signing’ challenge, where people are encouraged to turn their voice off for seven minutes a day in their homes, schools and workplaces and to only use NZSL to communicate. They can use our resources and visit nzsl.nz to help along the way. If that’s too tricky for some people, we suggest learning seven new signs this NZSL Week – which is only one a day.

“It really doesn’t matter how you start your NZSL journey, just give it try. That way NZSL will become more top of mind and provided at more events and in more news stories - that’s what will make the Deaf community feel most included in our society,” he says.

Resources to learn some basic signs can be found at nzslweek.org.nz and the NZSL dictionary is available online at nzsl.nz.

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