New Zealand Sign Language Week at MOTAT

MOTAT is proud to be supporting New Zealand Sign Language Week (Te Wiki O Te Reo
Turi) this year. Both our General Manager of Museum Experience, Sally Manuireva, and General Manager of Business Services, Wayne Schache will be taking part in the NZSL Leaders Challenge, alongside Prime Minister Jacinda Arden, and several other household names. We will have educational drop-in NZSL sessions for staff that will be led by Ko Taku Reo – Deaf Education New Zealand. MOTAT will also present a logo change and large-scale billboards for the week.  

Throughout NZSL week we have a variety of activities and design plans to show our dedication to the accessibility communities here in Aotearoa. We understand the importance of being innovative here at MOTAT, so this year we are creatively displaying our resources.  

MOTAT People and Culture Manager, and Diversity and Inclusion Committee member, Stacy Busek says, “One of the dimensions of our visitor experience is to be approachable, inclusive, and welcoming to all who choose to visit our museum. This includes being able to welcome and engage with visitors from New Zealand's deaf community. “ 

Other engaging works being made available to the public and the MOTAT team include: 

• NZSL finger-spelling cards will be available to staff and visitors to the museum. 

• NZSL Bingo game.  

• Educational resources being shared digitally to access our remote workers and volunteers.  

With support from Deaf Aotearoa, we have a new logo that will be showcased on emails, newsletters, and other internal and external resources. The logo replaces the letters from the Museum’s acronym (MOTAT) with the illustrated sign language letter. This is a great step towards educating the public on how to use NZSL to replace some of their everyday words and locations. 

For more information, images, or to organise an interview please contact: 

Makayla Wallace-Tidd | Communications Coordinator  

makayla.wallacetidd@motat.org.nz | 021 364 092