New Zealand Sign Language
Up-to-date information and resources relevant to the teaching and learning of New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) in the NZ curriculum. Links to curriculum guidelines, quality-assured materials, and other key information.
About this resource
This page provides links to key teaching and learning resources, curriculum guidelines, and professional support to help schools and teachers to deliver and enhance the teaching and learning of New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) in The New Zealand Curriculum.
New Zealand Sign Language
Key resources
New Zealand Sign Language in the New Zealand Curriculum
Curriculum guidelines developed prior to the introduction of the Learning languages learning area of The New Zealand Curriculum. These guidelines should be used in conjunction with the proficiency descriptors and achievement objectives of Learning Languages in The New Zealand Curriculum. Which can be found in the Learning Languages in the New Zealand Curriculum section of this website.
See Materials that come with this resource section to download NZSL in the New Zealand Curriculum (.pdf).
NZSL Videos for Teachers and Young School Aged Students
There are 3 weeks of instructional videos (14 lessons) covering basic New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) and Deaf culture available on the Deaf Aotearoa website. These were developed in 2020 as part of NZSL Week and include young people who are NZSL users. These videos were designed for young school aged children aged 5-8 years and their teachers, so NZSL instructional material is available in NZSL week and any week of the year.
Thumbs Up! An introduction to New Zealand Sign Language
Thumbs Up! An Introduction to New Zealand Sign Language is a resource designed for students in Years 7–8 working at curriculum levels 1 and 2. The resource supports the teaching and learning of NZSL as an additional language in English-medium schools.
Professional support
Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand
Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand (DANZ) is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes Deaf culture, New Zealand Sign Language, and the interests of the Deaf community.
New Zealand Sign Language
New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) is unique to New Zealand and is one of our official languages. NZSL is the natural language of the Deaf community in New Zealand and unique to this country.
New Zealand Sign Language Teachers Association
The New Zealand Sign Language Teachers Association (NZSLTA), founded in 1992, is a national professional organisation for New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) tutors and teachers throughout New Zealand.
Further resources
New Zealand Sign Language Dictionary Online
This online version of the New Zealand Sign Language Dictionary is an experimental prototype developed at Victoria University, in conjunction with the Deaf Studies Research Unit.
New Zealand Sign Language videos
In this section are some video clips in New Zealand Sign Language presenting information of interest to deaf people.
NZSL signed songs
Video clips of songs presented using NZSL from Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education Centre.
Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education Centre
Ko Taku Reo is Aotearoa New Zealand’s provider of education services for Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children. They have a large team of over 300 specialist staff across New Zealand, with specialist school provisions in Auckland and Christchurch.
They have a large array of resources for teachers, parents, and whānau to use.