About the NZSL Board
The purpose of the NZSL Board is to promote and maintain NZSL and provide expert advice to government and the community on NZSL. The NZSL Board has up to 10 members in total, all of whom are NZSL users, and a majority of members are Deaf NZSL users.
What's on this page
The NZSL Board's role and responsibilities
The NZSL Board was established by Cabinet in May 2014 and the founding members were appointed in May 2015. In response to a Human Rights Commission inquiry into NZSL from July 2012 to June 2013, the Office for Disability Issues created an NZSL Experts Advisory Group. This Experts Advisory Group recommended that the NZSL Board be established. The Human Rights Commission inquiry found that NZSL is crucial to the ability of Deaf people to learn, communicate and participate in society.
The work of the NZSL Board will also help the Government meet its commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its obligations under the NZSL Act 2006.
The purpose of the NZSL Board is to:
- promote and maintain the use of NZSL by ensuring the development and preservation and acquisition of the language
- ensure the rights of Deaf people and NZSL users to use NZSL as outlined in the NZSL Act 2006, United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other national and relevant international legislation
- provide expert advice to government and the community on NZSL, including recommendations on allocation of the NZSL Fund.
The NZSL Board has responsibilities across leadership, advice, strategy and coordination and monitoring.
Board members
- David McKee - Term ends 30 June 2025
- Joanne Becker - Term ends 30 June 2025
- Catherine Greenwood - Term ends 30 June 2025
- Jaime Brown - Term ends 30 June 2025
- Erica Dawson - Term ends 30 June 2027
- Monica Leach - Term ends 30 June 2026
- Kim Robinson - Term ends 30 June 2026
More information on NZSL Board members
The NZSL Fund
The New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Fund was established by the Government to support projects that promote and maintain NZSL. The NZSL Board is responsible for oversight of the Fund.
Every year the Minister for Disability Issues agrees policies and criteria for the NZSL Fund to ensure it is being used on things that are most important to the NZSL and Deaf community.
The NZSL Board oversees the fund, including:
- a contestable funding process (NZSL Community Grants), usually run yearly.
- supporting ongoing contracts that assist the promotion and maintenance of NZSL.
Contact
If you have questions about our work on the maintenance and promotion of NZSL, please email nzsl@whaikaha.govt.nz.