Tāngata Turi are raising concerns about AI misrepresenting New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), saying it could impact Deaf people’s lives.
The NZSL Board is calling for more Deaf and Turi Māori involved in developing new technology.
“That would impact Deaf people’s lives - [situations] like health and in trials or courts, there’s [a] very high risk,” says Catherine Greenwood, Chair of the NZSL (Te Oranga Reo Rota).
Greenwood says people learning NZSL through AI should know who is behind the technology.
“Have Deaf people themselves been involved? Are they using the right signs?”
Greenwood says this also affects employment for Tāngata Turi, as well as safety and the accuracy of NZSL.
“A lot of deaf people are teaching Sign Language themselves - that’s their income, that’s their livelihood,” she explains.
“If an avatar starts teaching Sign Language, what happens to their income?”
He taonga te reo rotarota
According to the 2023 Census, around 25,000 people in Aotearoa use NZSL, although not all are Deaf.
Rāhera Turner, Chair of Te Rōpū Kaitiaki, a Māori Deaf-led advisory group, says she has seen AI-generated signs.
“It’s really different, it’s not natural, it doesn’t look like the wairua that we have when we people sign,” she explains.
“People making up signs, it’s not right - it brings a risk to our community.”
Turner says NZSL is a taonga to Deaf and Turi Māori.
“I think it’s important they acknowledge, that [they] value that life experience, everything that we’ve been through, and how that represents who we are.”
Like te reo Māori, NZSL was suppressed in schools, with Deaf tamariki discouraged from signing. It was later accepted in Deaf education in 1993 and became an official language in 2006.
“People feel that so much has been taken from them and we don’t want to see that happening all over again.”
Turner says NZSL is an extension of their Turi identity.
“This is part of our rich knowledge and mātauranga that’s been handed down through our community.”
Te reo rotarota me te atamai hangahanga
In a new statement, the NZSL Board says AI has the potential to improve access to information and services, but development must involve Deaf and Turi Māori communities.
“Public visibility does not mean people have consented to their language, image, identity, movement or biometric data being used for AI training, research, testing or commercial purposes.”
The Board says human expertise must remain central in high-risk settings, including healthcare and justice.
The Board encourages people to read the NZSL Strategy 2026–2036, which sets out plans to improve access to NZSL and support its use across Aotearoa.
Me whai wāhi a Ngāti Turi
While these advocates understand potential benefits of AI, their stance remains clear - they need to be involved.
“Technology obviously can help us access and improvement of access, but it’s not a replacement for humans,” Greenwood says.
“When you say, nothing about us without us, people start to realise who owns the language and the culture,” Turner adds.
“Deaf and Turi Māori, it’s our space. Ask for our leadership. We will provide that and we can work together again.”
