Dalziel Lianne: New Zealand Sign Language Bill — First Reading 
Dalziel Lianne: New Zealand Sign Language Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:618;Page:13778] 
LIANNE DALZIEL (Labour—Christchurch East) 
: 
 I wish to begin by paying tribute to the Hon Ruth Dyson for her stewardship of the disability issues portfolio. Ruth Dyson has committed 100 percent to delivering on all aspects of the Disability Strategy and the introduction of this bill is another promise fulfilled. The Minister has made it her mission to consult with the wide range of communities she is accountable to in order to ensure she has a very clear understanding of all the issues. Her understanding of and respect for New Zealand’s Deaf communities are evident today as she introduces this bill. However I can confirm that she is personally committed to Deaf communities beyond the introduction of this bill even to learning some signing herself which unfortunately she did not share with us today. 
That being said I cannot understate or overstate—depending on perspective—the significance of what is happening in this Parliament today. I was very pleased to hear that the National Party will support the introduction of this bill because of that importance. Essentially the Government is recognising that New Zealand Sign Language is an official language of New Zealand. It is a language in its own right and of equal status to spoken languages. I am glad the Minister has explained to the House that New Zealand Sign Language is unique and is not signed English. I can sign my name in signed English but the name I was given by the Deaf Society of Canterbury is unique to me; it means bright eyes. It was given to me in recognition of my light blue eyes and I thank the society for giving me that name in its language. 
I am pleased that the bill contains within it the right to use New Zealand Sign Language in any legal proceedings. That is an important component of what is called access to justice. It is what we should all—all New Zealanders—be able to take for granted. I am sure that over time it will extend into other areas of Government service and delivery and out into the wider community. 
Everyone has inherent human rights—rights that this bill seeks to address. However it goes further beyond the human rights that we would see written in legislation. It really talks of the right of participation the sense of belonging that is important to each and every one of us and the ability to communicate with each other enabling us to build understanding across diverse cultures. Our Deaf communities have much to offer those of us who sometimes stand accused of listening without hearing. They have much to offer because their experience is different. This bill is an important component of the attitudinal change needed to bridge the divide that can limit people’s ability to participate fully in society. 
I close by also paying tribute to the Deaf Association of New Zealand and to all members of all Deaf communities throughout New Zealand. The 20-year battle for recognition of this real and equal language unique to New Zealand is almost over. As a member of the Justice and Electoral Committee I shall look forward to receiving this bill for our scrutiny the hearing of submissions and its return to the House. I commend the bill to the House and congratulate the Minister once more. 
BARBARA STEWART (NZ First) 
: 
 On behalf of New Zealand First I rise to support this bill’s referral to the Justice and Electoral Committee. We will support the bill’s referral to the select committee because we believe it is an essential way of encouraging those New Zealanders most affected by this bill to take an active interest and to have their points of view heard and noted in the select committee. New Zealand First can appreciate that this bill promises to give New Zealand Sign Language official recognition and that it will acknowledge New Zealand Sign Language as a real language. This will represent a significant step forward for the Deaf community as sign language forms the basis of Deaf culture in New Zealand. 
As the Minister pointed out the immediate effect of this bill will be to provide people with the right to use sign language in any legal proceedings including the courts—and here there is an issue with resources. How many people are currently trained to ensure that this service can be provided? There is little point in giving sign language official recognition if we are setting up a system that cannot be adequately resourced for this very special group of New Zealanders. At this time New Zealand First can see a resource challenge that will hopefully be addressed at the select committee stage. We believe that there is currently a shortage of interpreters and financial resources to ensure that this need is met. Most of the current interpreters would currently be employed and no doubt have all the work they can handle. The demand for interpreters will be fuelled by this legislation in much the same way as occurred with the official recognition of the Maori language. It took some time for the demand to be met. 
In New Zealand First we were very pleased to read recently in the  
New Zealand Herald 
 that a diploma in sign language interpreting has been designed to prepare interpreters for work in the Deaf and hearing communities. It is a 2-year programme that will be run at the Auckland University of Technology in central Auckland at the Deaf Association in Avondale. As far as I am aware this is the only course available specifically for sign language interpreting at this particular time. The successful completion of this programme must be a prerequisite for employment because the role of the interpreter is a very specialised one with responsibility for facilitating and being an essential part of the communication between the Deaf and the hearing people in society. 
Signing relies on a very accurate exchange of information often at a demanding rate with complex concepts or processes that need to be discussed. There is no way that the quality of the communication can be poor. We can list the accessing of university and tertiary education and indeed all educational institutions the court system the health system and there are so many more. This bill will give recognition to this special group of New Zealanders and in doing so will hopefully reduce barriers and improve the participation of the Deaf community in society. 
As many as one in five New Zealanders have been identified as having a permanent impairment or disability. It is a sad but well-known fact that many New Zealanders with impairments are excluded from fully participating in society. Ignorance prejudice and discrimination towards the Deaf and other disabled groups act as a major barrier at all levels. This has an insidious effect and reduces the quality of life of those affected. There is also a cumulative loss to society as a whole. Communication and access to information are key issues. All too often people are not able to participate fully in society because they cannot get the information they need in the form they need it. The Deaf community should be fully equipped with the resources necessary to enable its members to fully participate within their communities and the New Zealand Sign Language Bill is a positive step in this direction. 
The Deaf community has its own identity. It faces unique challenges that require a special method of communication and learning. Acknowledgment of each person’s unique identity lies at the heart of a fully inclusive society. As a group Deaf people are likely to have lower incomes and fewer financial and family resources than the general population. This economic disadvantage is further compounded by the financial cost of disability. The earning potential of families with disabled children can be curtailed by their need to provide support for their children or live and work in areas where they can access family or professional support. This can be improved by providing essential support networks and employment opportunities for the Deaf within their communities. 
For most people the opportunity to work is a fundamental part of their lives. Deaf people face significant barriers in getting and keeping jobs. A Deaf person is several times more likely to be unemployed than a hearing person. Accessible training courses and tertiary study should be made available through special aids equipment and sign language to ensure that Deaf people have the best employment opportunities. The Government says that further developments will proceed gradually and that Cabinet has also agreed to look at ways to improve access to New Zealand Sign Language in education health employment and public broadcasting as well as for Maori Deaf. I hope that the Government continues its commitment to working with the Deaf community through consultation and cooperation as to how best to proceed. 
I say in conclusion that New Zealand First supports this bill—with a cautionary note to the Government to take progressive steps to ensure that Deaf people do not need to wait a further 20 years before the next step towards progress is made. There are many resource challenges inherent in this legislation that must be met. New Zealand First congratulates the Deaf Association and the Deaf community on all the work they have done to ensure that this legislation has reached Parliament. We will be watching the progress of this bill through the select committee process with interest.