New Zealand Sign Language Strategy
New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) is an official language of New Zealand. In November 2025, the NZSL Board launched a new 10-year strategy to strengthen and increase the use of NZSL.
The New Zealand Sign Language Strategy 2026-2036 is titled 'New Zealand Sign Language – everyone, everywhere, every day'. This reflects the NZSL Board’s ambitions for a strong and vibrant language that is recognised and embraced as a living language for all New Zealanders.
The strategy sets out two approaches, firstly to support NZSL users to learn and use the language, and secondly to ensure non-NZSL users understand its importance and embrace its use.
The first approach, energise, is focused on Deaf people and NZSL users to ensure they, particularly children, can acquire and use NZSL across their lives.
The second approach, integration, is focused on people who do not use NZSL, so they understand and accept its use. It is also aimed at building New Zealand’s responsiveness to Deaf people and NZSL users.
Five priorities sit under the two approaches which are:
- acquisition and learning: to enable deaf children and tamariki, and children who use NZSL to community – and families and whānau to acquire and use NZSL
- evidence and data: to build an evidence-based profile of Deaf people and NZSL users
- Deaf and NZSL workforce: to ensure there is a workforce to support the acquisition and use of NZSL
- public sector: to improve attitude, acquisition and use of NZSL across the public sector.
- celebrating NZSL: to enhance the status of NZSL in New Zealand and celebrate across society and cultures.
More information about the strategy is available on the NZSL Board website: NZSL Strategy 2026-2036 external URL