Two of Mayor Kirsten Wise's question time videos and a message video are now available in NZSL. Photo / Napier City Council Facebook
Two of Mayor Kirsten Wise's question time videos and a message video are now available in NZSL. Photo / Napier City Council Facebook
In addition to its Covid-19 lockdown update videos, Napier City Council has also added versions in sign language to their Facebook Page.
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise has been making daily videos, which have been uploaded to the council Facebook page, updating residents during the level 4 lockdown.
She has alsobeen making question time videos where she answers some of the most commonly asked questions from Napier residents, relating to the lockdown.
Now, some of these videos are also available in New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), an official language of New Zealand.
Natasha Mackie, who has been Welfare Manager for much of the time since the country moved to alert level 4 on March 24, views the videos in New Zealand Sign Language as a need.
Napier City Council has begun including videos of the Mayor's messages in NZSL. Photo / Napier City Council Facebook
"The NZSL messaging is something that we in Welfare identified as a need, in response to them being particularly vulnerable in regards to how the communications around the pandemic is having to be provided – online video and print.
"With much of the Covid-19 messaging being provided online through video, sign language interpreters are important for the deaf community."
So far, two of the mayor's question time videos have been uploaded in NZSL and the day 14 update, asking people to stay in their bubble over Easter, has also been posted.
The videos are available on the Napier City Council Facebook page and the council asks people to share them with anyone in Napier's deaf community.
Feedback on the Facebook videos has been positive with one commenter saying it was awesome they were able to now know what the daily updates are about.
"It also fits with our Disability Strategy – apart from the Government broadcasting, I haven't heard of anything else being done in NZSL," Mackie said.
In November 2019, Napier City Council won the People First NZ Make It Easy Award for making the draft Disability Strategy available in an Easy Read format.
NZSL interpreters have been present throughout the Government's Covid-19 messaging and announcements.
They were thanked by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern earlier this month after Deaf Aotearoa and the Sign Language Interpreters Association of New Zealand revealed that NZSL interpreters were facing added stress from online parody videos and memes.
