Families of deaf Northland toddlers and pre-schoolers will have better access to support and resources, including learning NZ Sign Language, thanks to new Government funding.

A $2.8m funding boost for Deaf Aotearoa’s First Signs programme means families of deaf toddlers and pre-schoolers in more remote regions, such as Northland, Hawke’s Bay and Central Otago, will have access to better resources and support.

“We are thrilled with this significant additional funding, which provides us with the resources to expand and develop our world-renowned First Signs service. We will now be able to reach 100 additional deaf children and their families, and strengthen our provision in remote and rural areas,” Deaf Aotearoa chief executive Lachlan Keating said.

“Right now, we are struggling to support less than 20 per cent of Kiwi families with deaf children under 5 years old, which is well behind international standards,” he says. “We’d love to see NZSL thriving in communities all around the country, and for that to happen we need more First Signs Facilitators on the ground.”

Keating said the funding will help the organisation support deaf children from birth to 5 and Deaf Aotearoa is working with 10 families in Northland.

”Overall we are working with about 100 deaf or hard of hearing people in the Northland region. They all have different needs and different levels of expectation and our staff work directly with them, either face to face or online to deliver our services.”

Keating said NZ Sign Language (NZSL) – one of NZ’s three official languages – was high in the public consciousness thanks to sign language being used during the daily Covid-19 briefings by the Government.

That brought NZSL into living rooms and offices right across the country, and normalised sign language.

”Our advocacy (for wider exposure of NZSL) is paying off, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern showed a lot of leadership (by having the signers on stage with her during the conferences) and during her post-Cabinet briefings.”

Keating said there was never enough money for the deaf community, but it was great that more funding had been announced now.

”We really appreciate this significant funding that will really help make a difference.”

The funding commitment from the Ministry of Education will enable Deaf Aotearoa to expand to meet both the current and future needs of deaf children and their families, accommodating the 200 deaf babies born each year.

New Zealand is home to about 4500 deaf people in New Zealand, and 20,000 Kiwis who regularly use NZSL.