NZSL Board meeting: 27 February 2018

The Office for Disability Issues had arranged for a meeting between the NZSL Board and the Minister for Disability Issues, Hon Carmel Sepuloni. She was very interested in the work of the NZSL Board, and asked about its work in developing a new 5 year NZSL Strategy. An effective dialogue between the NZSL Board and the Minister of Disability Issues has been developed and work is continuing in this area.

The Terms of Reference (ToR) for the NZSL Board was also discussed. This is a document that outlines the scope and limitations of the NZSL Board. Due to the new NZSL Strategy, the ToR document now needs to be updated. There are several points in the ToR that needed to be updated or modified.

Half of the NZSL Board members will also their 3 year terms up for renewal in 2018. This means these people will be stepping down and new members will be replacing them on the NZSL Board. It is important that a smooth handover occurs to ensure the effective running of the NZSL Board. The recruitment process for acquiring new members was explained by the secretariat.

There are a few projects that the NZSL Board has previously funded. From the reports about these projects, it is clear that more work needs to be done on these projects and that additional funding might be required. The NZSL Board recognises that this good work needs to continue and extra investment be made to see the best results from these projects.

The Ministry of Education has developed a NZSL plan project for NZSL in Education. The Ministry of Education has asked the NZSL Board for advice. The NZSL Board considers education to be very important and wants to be involved with the project and offer them advice. It was discussed how to work with the Ministry of Education and also how the NZSL Board would work with them.