Purpose and process

Deaf people often refer to the Deaf community as being a family and whānau. This thinking rolls across all facets of life in the Deaf world with the well-known saying, “It takes a village to raise a deaf child” aptly reflecting the values of the Deaf community and its worldview. 

The Deaf community has many parallels with Māori in terms of suppression of its culture, language and identity. Here is where we turn to the concept of ‘Te whare tapa whā’ – the four cornerstones, or sides, of Māori health and wellbeing. The four corners refer to physical health (taha tinana), spiritual health (taha wairua), whānau health (taha whānau) and mental health (taha hinengaro). All four corners are equally important. Should one of the four corners be missing or in some way damaged, a person, or a collective, may become ‘unbalanced’ and subsequently unwell. And so, using this model, if the whānau corner (the Deaf community) is damaged, a Deaf person, and its collective, the wider Deaf community may become unwell. Belonging and participating in a collective community such as the Deaf community is fundamental to the wellbeing of a Deaf person. The healthier a Deaf community is, the healthier a Deaf person is.

In recent years there has been increasing discord between Deaf community members, groups and organisations. Many matters remain unresolved. As with any damage, repairs can be made to restore balance within the New Zealand Deaf community. Inspired by the consistent messaging from our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who urged everyone to be strong and be kind to one another, to support each other, it was towards the end of the first lockdown that we sought out how this could be achieved within the New Zealand Deaf community. How can the Deaf whanau be kind and support each other?

This exploration was conducted through a series of Zoom discussions with a wide-range of members of the New Zealand Deaf community, diverse in age, region, ethnicity, community involvement and/or gender. Some were approached, others pro-actively volunteered. A total of twenty-nine people participated in three online discussions, each two hours in length, that took place in May and June 2020, moderated by Rachel Coppage, Amanda Everitt, Catherine Greenwood and Sonia Pivac. 

The discussions have been summarised and grouped into three main categories: Access, Leadership and Opportunities. It is important to focus on the information contained within this report and not to ‘target’ the people who have expressed these views. The views expressed in this document are not of the authors’ own, but a summary of the discussions coming from the Deaf community after the first COVID lockdown. 

While some Māori Deaf participated in these discussions, we felt it is important that Māori Deaf, Tū Tangata Turi have their own discussions with their own processes and procedures. Māori have a plural identity and are discussing these issues in their own space, or turangawaewae. We have shared this with, and continue to share this with Māori Deaf as part of the community.

We can see that there are great opportunities and great challenges that the New Zealand Deaf community needs to work on together. We want to re-emphasise that it is our hope that individuals, groups and organisations will take on the recommendations within this document and continue the discussion towards achieving balance and wellbeing for the Deaf community.

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