NZSL Fund Round 7 recipients

Introduction

The Government supports the maintenance and promotion of NZSL, as an official language of New Zealand, through the activities carried out by the NZSL Board. The NZSL Board has a total of $1.645m per annum to allocate to activities designed to maintain and promote NZSL. Its priorities are set out in the NZSL Strategy (2018-2023). Round Seven of the NZSL community grants welcoming applications for community driven initiatives was opened in May 2020.  This is the seventh year that the Board has run a contestable process for funding, giving anyone in the Deaf or NZSL user community the opportunity to put forward their ideas.

Community Grants

One-year projects between $5,000 - $80,000 were received through the annual contestable funding process managed by the Office for Disability Issues (ODI).  The Board received a total of 17 applications for NZSL Community Grants and recommended that thirteen applications be funded or partially funded at a total value of $395,800.20. Selections were based on alignment with the Board’s NZSL Strategy (2018-2023) language planning priorities.

Here is the complete list of successful recipients, a description of the project and the total funding (excl GST) received.

Deaf Wellbeing Society: The Journey from Nature to Plate

$49,698.00

A series of short films of Deaf New Zealanders sharing their passion for living off the land including beekeeping, cheesemaking, gardening, fishing, chickens, hangi, Māori native forest foods, and paua divers.

Southland Deaf Community Inc:  NZSL Education in Southland

$8,000.00

Teaching the Invercargill and Southland community about Deaf culture, identity and NZSL.

Kara Technologies Ltd: High-Tech NZSL Children’s Book Library (Phase Two)

$40,000.00

The production of two new NZSL books and a vocabulary list for six books from phase one and two.

Wellington Deaf Society: Revitalising the Heart of the Wellington Deaf Community

$20,000.00

Funding a position to organise and deliver events for Wellington Deaf Society.

Edumaxi: Te Reo Singalong Books

$19,245.00

Translating two more Te Reo singalong books into NZSL

Ngā Rangatahi Turi o Aotearoa: Māori Deaf Youth Part Two

$40,000.00

Māori Deaf youth hui where the focus will be discussing factors of equality vs equity, advocacy for the needs of Māori Deaf and identifying ongoing activities for Māori Deaf youth hui to develop knowledge of Te Ao Māori including whakapapa, kaupapa and tikanga.

Talk Town Ltd: Talk Town

$5,199.00

Talk Town is a digital game that aims to teach young Deaf and hard of hearing people to develop self-advocacy and social communication skills. This project aims to scope the adaption of the game into NZSL and a Deaf context.

Auckland Deaf Society: An Interactive Day for Families and Whanau with Deaf Children

$8,152.20

A guided introduction into the local Deaf community where Deaf adults and youth will deliver workshops showcasing the diversity of the Deaf community and the value of participation in NZSL to hearing parents of Deaf children.

Platform NZ: Finding Your Place in Aotearoa via Te Tiriti o Waitangi

$78,276.00

Providing a series of workshops to Māori Deaf in partnership with Tu Tangata Turi, the first focusing on Tu Tangata and then the rest provided across New Zealand.

Platform NZ: Creating Standards for using interpreters in mental health situations

$41,900.00

Develop guidelines, supervision processes and deliver workshops for NZSL interpreters in mental health settings and addiction settings.  Scope training for interpreting work during comprehensive mental health assessments and treatment. 

Platform NZ: Changing Minds in the Deaf Community

$55,330.00

Develop Rākau Roroa sessions – face to face, small group two-day sessions with Deaf people who have a lived experience of mental distress and recovery, to use the experience to create change in the community by empowering them with knowledge.

SignDNA: Expanding the SignDNA Archive

$20,000.00

There are three elements to this project – maintain the archive, process material and a developing a community engagement tool.

ODI will be discussing a grant opportunity with an applicant not listed above.