Dyson Ruth: New Zealand Sign Language Bill — Third Reading 
Dyson Ruth: New Zealand Sign Language Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:630;Page:2585] 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Minister for Disability Issues) 
: 
 I move  
That the New Zealand Sign Language Bill be now read a third time 
. I would like to acknowledge the members of the Deaf community who have travelled from around New Zealand to be part of this important event. This is a historic day. 
The parliamentary history of the bill began almost 2 years ago with its first reading on 22 June 2004. It was referred to the Justice and Electoral Committee which reported back to the House on 18 July last year. The second reading of the bill took place on 23 February this year and the Committee stage on 23 March. Today we have the third and final reading of this bill. 
The purpose of the bill is to promote and maintain the use of New Zealand Sign Language by declaring it to be an official language of New Zealand. It provides for the use of New Zealand Sign Language in legal proceedings and enables the making of regulations to set competency standards for interpretation in legal proceedings. It sets out principles to guide Government departments in the use of New Zealand Sign Language. It provides for a review of the operation of the Act 3 years after it comes into force. 
This bill is necessary. A lack of recognition of New Zealand Sign Language leads to serious barriers to information and services for deaf people which leads therefore to unacceptable injustices. The bill offers improved access to information and services that hearing people take for granted. It provides acknowledgment of Deaf people’s language and culture. 
New Zealand Sign Language is part of our rich cultural diversity. Around 28000 people of whom 7000 are deaf use it. It is a language native to our country. It has a unique linguistic structure and includes signs that express concepts from Maori culture. Deaf people comprise a distinct and dynamic cultural group within our country. Their language is central to our culture. Language and culture go hand in hand and by our recognition of New Zealand Sign Language we give due recognition to Deaf culture. 
The first school for deaf children was established in 1880 in Sumner in Christchurch. Sign language was forbidden as it was at the later schools in Titirangi Kelston and Feilding. But the children were desperate to communicate and continued to use sign language despite the penalty. For the next hundred years the language continued to be suppressed—but it continued to develop. 
In the 1970s overseas research began to document the linguistic features of sign languages and increasingly they were recognised as complete and natural languages in their own right. From the mid-1980s New Zealand Deaf people began to assert their own language on the political stage. Throughout the 1990s the Deaf Association and wider community lobbied hard to have their language recognised. The New Zealand Sign Language Tutors Association was established in 1992 and in 1995 the Auckland University of Technology established the diploma course in interpreting. In 1993 after more than 100 years of formal suppression New Zealand Sign Language began to be used in our schools for the Deaf. In 1997 the first official dictionary was published. 
The passing of the bill will mark a major reversal in the suppression of the Deaf community’s language and culture. It will be a substantial step towards achieving our vision of an inclusive society. The principles of the bill and the related work streams will remove language barriers for Deaf people in the education health public broadcasting and justice sectors. The capacity of the interpreter workforce beginning with competency standards is being addressed. The review of the Act will provide an opportunity for us to ensure that it is achieving its stated purpose. 
I am pleased that our parliamentary processes have been made accessible to the Deaf community throughout the passage of the bill. It is probably the most involved the Deaf community has ever been in any parliamentary and lawmaking process and I want to see that participation continue. I wish to thank in particular all the interpreters for their excellent work. 
The bill is a monumental milestone for the Deaf community. By declaring New Zealand Sign Language to be an official language of our country our Parliament is acknowledging the Deaf community’s presence its rights and its equal value in our society. 
In conclusion I wish to pay tribute to the persistence and dedication of the Deaf community. Many Deaf people have shared personal stories of being forbidden to use their natural language of having their hands tied behind their backs and of being punished for signing. They have endured years of being told that their language is inferior to spoken languages. Yet despite that New Zealand Sign Language has survived and continues to evolve. This language is about to be recognised as an official language of New Zealand. 
Today is cause for celebration. To the Deaf community I salute you. I commend the bill to the House.