Language planning priorities

The purpose of acquisition planning is to ensure:

• deaf children and young people become fully proficient in NZSL
• the Deaf community and other members of able to fully learn and use NZSL in all domains of society. The remaining three language priorities: attitude, documentation and status play essential supporting roles to the achievement of NZSL acquisition society can learn NZSL.

What success looks like in five years’ time

• Deaf children and young people who use NZSL are learning and acquiring NZSL at age-appropriate levels throughout their education through full immersion with signing peers and adult NZSL models.
• Families and whānau are able to learn NZSL throughout their child’s education, enabling them to communicate more easily with their deaf child.
• Professionals working in educational contexts with deaf children and young people who are NZSL users, are proficient in NZSL to an appropriate level, supporting deaf children and young people to acquire NZSL at age-appropriate levels.

National education NZSL planning

Planning how deaf children and young people acquire a language is central to any national language strategy. Due to the complexity of language acquisition for children and young people, countries with national language plans for minority languages tend to have two approaches – a national language strategy and a related national education language strategy.

New Zealand examples of such an approach are the national strategy for Te Reo Māori − Te Rautaki Reo Māori (2014) and the associated national education Te Reo strategy, Tau Mai Te Reo (year).

The Ministry of Education has had various plans and strategies for deaf education and during 2018 is developing an up-to-date NZSL pathway, with a view to developing a long-term strategy for NZSL in deaf education.

The Board will continue to work with the Ministry of Education as well as key Crown entities and other relevant stakeholders in early childhood education, schooling and tertiary education sectors to:

• support further developments and implementation of a national NZSL education sector plan
• ensure the alignment of such a plan with the Board’s Strategy.

As the Ministry of Education is the government agency responsible for the funding of both deaf children and young people’s access to NZSL and services that support access to learning through NZSL within education settings, the Board will not replicate or replace the Ministry of Education’s NZSL planning and funding in these areas, but will work with and support the Ministry of Education in its NZSL education strategic planning.

The purpose of Use/Access planning is to:

• enable NZSL to be used in all domains of society
• promote social equality for Deaf NZSL users by ensuring they have access to information and services through NZSL.

What success looks like in five years’ time

• The Deaf community is able to maintain Deaf domains of intergenerational transmission of NZSL amongst the Deaf community. Deaf domains include organisations, events, places and spaces (for example, face-to-face or online interaction) where Deaf people are able to use NZSL.
• Core government services and information, which are the responsibility of key central government agencies such as the Ministries of Education (pre-school, compulsory and tertiary), Health, Justice, and Social Development as well as local government agencies are accessible to Deaf NZSL users because they:
  • provide professional NZSL interpreters
  • translate written information into NZSL
  • use up-to-date information and communication technology that provides Deaf NZSL users  access to services and information
  • provide services and information directly in NZSL, for example via NZSL fluent staff
  • make decisions that are informed by the Board’s Strategy and the use of robust data and evidence.
• NZSL interpreter standards provide high quality professional interpreting services throughout New Zealand that meet the diverse needs of Deaf NZSL users.
• Māori Deaf have access to Te Ao Māori and Māori speaking domains through the training and retention of trilingual interpreters (Te Reo Māori, NZSL and English). 

The purpose of attitude planning is to ensure:

• the Deaf community
  • has a critical awareness and appreciation of NZSL as a valid language
  • believes that NZSL is recognised and valued by New Zealanders.
• families and whānau of deaf children, and the professionals who work with them, recognise and value NZSL as a language and understand the benefits of using NZSL early with deaf children. 

Government agencies, Crown entities and New Zealanders recognise NZSL as a language and demonstrate inclusive attitudes and practices towards NZSL users, including recognising the importance and value of NZSL to the Deaf community.

What success looks like in five years’ time

• The Deaf community believes that NZSL is recognised and valued by New Zealanders.
• Families and whānau of deaf children make a conscious choice to learn and use NZSL and recognise it as an equal language alongside spoken languages.
• Government agencies, Crown entities and New Zealanders demonstrate awareness of, and positive attitudes towards the use of NZSL in New Zealand.

The purpose of documentation planning is to:

• Develop and maintain comprehensive records of NZSL that enables the current and future use, understanding and further analysis of the language.
• Documentation includes research, archiving, evidence-based descriptions of the structure and use of NZSL, including a dictionary, grammar and a corpus of NZSL as well as other forms of language analysis. 

What success looks like in five years’ time

• NZSL users have ongoing access to comprehensive records of NZSL, including an NZSL online dictionary that documents NZSL and maintains a high standard of content and usability.
• NZSL documentation and research is ongoing, reflecting partnerships between research institutions, individuals and the NZSL community.

he purpose of status planning is to develop a positive environment for the use of NZSL, including by:

• determining what rights are given to NZSL users through legislation, policy and practice and the position of NZSL in society
• enhancing how NZSL is viewed and used.

What success will look like in five years’ time

• Central and local government and Crown entities are implementing the principles of the NZSL Act 2006, particularly in the priority areas of education, social and employment services, health, justice and emergency services
•  A positive environment, including legislation, policy and practice, support the use of NZSL.