Hutchison Paul: New Zealand Sign Language Bill — Third Reading 
Hutchison Paul: New Zealand Sign Language Bill — Third Reading 
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Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Port Waikato) 
: 
 The National Party takes great pleasure in supporting the third reading of the historical New Zealand Sign Language Bill in the House. We congratulate and thank all those who have worked so hard to bring it about. This clearly is an example of where the majority of parties in Parliament can work together when they recognise a cause worthy of support. Although I was not personally in the Justice and Electoral Committee I understand that all 293 submitters supported this bill. It is wonderful to have the gallery filled with representatives of the Deaf community who have come from right around New Zealand to celebrate the passing of this bill. I welcome them to Parliament and thank them for their efforts. It is also great to witness the very competent signer here in the House today. 
The genesis of this landmark bill goes back a very long way and it is a testament to the Deaf community in particular for the long hard and consistent work it has done for many years to ensure that New Zealand Sign Language is recognised as an official language here in New Zealand. I know that my parliamentary colleague Ruth Dyson has pushed very hard for this day to come about and I acknowledge her for those efforts. 
However I am concerned that no fiscal impact report was done on this bill. I see it as inevitable and in fact right and proper that in time future provisions will expand signing into health education and other areas. It is important therefore that the fiscal implications of this bill are taken seriously. The select committee was told that at this stage further spending would have to come from Vote Justice baseline funding. It is therefore vital and fundamental that Vote Justice is adequately prepared and that if in the future changes are made they are well-thought-out so they can be sustained. 
I am also concerned that this Labour Government is prone to come out with slightly high-sounding strategies—which include the disability strategy—but when it comes to the reality of service provision people’s aspirations are frequently dashed. People such as Lorna Sullivan of the New Zealand Assembly of People with Disabilities have said that at present a systemic abandonment and neglect exists throughout the disability sector and that has to be a significant reality check on the Labour Government. Only today I sent a further letter of request to the Minister of Health asking for his support to ensure that a working woman who is deaf will be given a date for a cochlear implant. She has been profoundly impaired by deafness which has limited her ability to continue working in the medical area. She has been waiting for over a year for the operation. Her hopes have risen when she has been told she is of high priority but they have been dashed several times as the operation has been put off due to financial considerations. The Minister of Health says that the priority for cochlear implants is that they go first to children and that is understandable. But this adult woman although she is in the high-priority group continues to wait anxiously to hear whether she will ever be given a definite date. 
It is a worry that the Labour Government often does not support its rhetoric with tangible practical dollars. I note that Britain uses a slightly different approach to this issue. For instance within the health system in the United Kingdom the Government provides a budget for translators so they are paid for their work in proportion to the time they devote to it. I would like to hear Minister Dyson stating clearly that a definite budget is available to make this Act operable into the future. 
I do thoroughly endorse clause 10A which requires a review of the operation of the legislation as soon as practicable after 1 March 2009. This requires a report on the operation of the Act from its commencement and on whether any amendments to the scope and contents of it are necessary or desirable. 
The Justice and Electoral Committee recommended the inclusion of an explicit statement to confirm that aside from enforcing the right to use New Zealand Sign Language in any legal proceedings the bill does not extend rights to the Deaf community beyond those already provided in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act and does not limit those rights in any way. 
People have asked: “What is an official language?”. At present New Zealand has two official languages: English and Maori. Maori is official because it has been declared so by statute and English is official by convention dating back to English law. So there are indeed some inherent assumptions there. It is important to acknowledge that New Zealand Sign Language is a wholly visual language with its own grammatical structure different from that of English and Maori. It is distinct and differs from the sign language of other countries such as Australia America Canada and Britain. I am also told that a Deaf person fluent in Maori who has no English and a Deaf person fluent in English who has no Maori may equally learn and communicate with New Zealand Sign Language. 
The modern history leading up to the third reading of this bill has been more rapid than the long history of obstacles that Deaf people in New Zealand have had to confront since the mid-1850s. As a fifth generation New Zealander myself I find it hard to believe how far we have come over the last 150 years. I cannot imagine how many whales my great-great-grandfather Captain Daniel Doherty unwittingly lost because his chief harpoonist back in 1833 was partially deaf and sometimes did not hear the order to throw the harpoon. 
Hone Harawira 
: He did it on purpose. 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: That may be so and some amongst us now might be very glad of that deaf harpoonist. Even worse however was the complete lack of access early pioneers of this country had to hearing facilities or aids. However we are celebrating the fact that today in modern New Zealand New Zealand Sign Language will shortly become an official language. 
Once again I pay tribute to all those who have worked so hard and for so long for this to become a reality and I particularly pay tribute to those in the Deaf community. It is with great pleasure that National congratulates the Deaf community and supports the third reading of this bill so that the New Zealand Sign Language becomes an official language in New Zealand.