Actions undertaken by government to implement the NZSL Act 2006

Since the passage of the NZSL Act in April 2006, government departments have undertaken a number of relevant initiatives, including the following:

• Government agencies have worked and are continuing to work to increase access for their Deaf clients and employees to their services. This includes increased access to NZSL interpreters.
• NZ Relay is trialling a Video Relay Service which enables NZSL users to communicate via video through the internet or videophone. The trial began in July 2009 and is to run until November 2010. The telecommunications service introduced in 2005 by the Ministry of Economic Development for people who are Deaf, hearing impaired, Deaf-blind, or speech impaired
• The Ministry of Justice has successfully implemented the NZ Relay Service in the Ministry's Wellington and Auckland Contact Centres and in local Courts. As well:
  • Audio-Visual Links, to enable people to give their evidence without attending court hearings, are being progressively installed in court rooms and are likely to lead to greater use of videoconference for appearances by interpreters.
  • The Courts (Remote Participation) Bill was introduced in December 2009 to enable courts to make greater use of Audio-Visual Links and increase the number of participants that can use videoconferencing in courts.  As a result it is likely that there will be greater use of videoconferencing for appearances by interpreters. The Justice and Electoral Select Committee is due to report back on the Bill by the end of May 2010.
  • The Ministry is developing national NZSL interpreter guidelines for District and High Courts.
• In preparation for the 2008 General Election, the Ministry of Justice worked with the Deaf Association of New Zealand (now Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand) to produce a DVD which used NZSL to explain enrolment and voting procedures. 
• During 2009/2009 and 2009/2010, the Ministry of Health provided funding to Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand for interpreter services, primarily for access to health and disability services. The Ministry also provided additional one-off funding to support Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand in setting up a number of Deaf Access Centres to include videophones, screens and data connections, in order to enable Deaf consumers to access services at a number of remote sites.
• In 2009, the Ministry of Social Development released a DVD providing information in New Zealand Sign Language on the services provided by the Ministry of Social Development's Work and Income, Child Youth and Family, and Studylink Services.
• In 2008, the Ministry of Economic Development introduced funding for twenty scholarships per year for training in NZSL, for students of the Auckland University of Technology's Diploma in Sign Language Interpreting.
• In 2007 the Ministry of Education released guidelines "New Zealand Sign Language in the New Zealand Curriculum", to set the direction for teaching and learning NZSL, to help teachers in early childhood settings and schools who wish to plan and implement NZSL programmes with their children. The Ministry is continuing work to remove of language barriers for Deaf people's access to education, through the three approaches of communication and raising awareness, workforce development relating to NZSL, and access to learning through NZSL.
• In 2009, the Office for Disability Issues published guidelines for government departments working with New Zealand Sign Language interpreters; and prepared NZSL versions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and of the New Zealand Disability Strategy.