Anywhere, any time ¨C that¡¯s a mantra which applies to policing, and it is hoped it can apply to New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) as well.
To mark ¨C theme ¡®An Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere¡¯ ¨C young Police fan and sign language user Carter teamed up with Wellington Maritime Unit. You can watch the resulting video above.
Detective Rosalind (Ros) °µÍø½ûÇøon introduced Carter to Police and he has previously helped with Police messaging around sign language awareness ¨C a valuable skill in such a communication-focused profession.
This time, eight-year-old Carter and his mum Bridget went aboard the Lady Liz to help spread the message that anyone can learn to sign and are encouraged to, anywhere, any time.
¡°Carter loves anything with motors ¨C he¡¯s a big fan of cars and now I am fairly sure he¡¯s going to be a big fan of boats,¡± says Bridget.
Bridget is not deaf but Carter¡¯s father is, so Carter¡¯s NZSL ability is far ahead of most users of his age.
Bridget says Carter was thrilled by the visit to the Maritime base. ¡°He got to drive the boat and had a ride on the RHIB with Nicko [Constable Nicholas McGregor]. He was very interested in everything the officers showed him.¡±
In return, Carter taught the staff a few signs ¨C how to sign their names and some other useful words. ¡°He can¡¯t wait to talk about his day on ,¡± says Bridget.
Ros introduced Carter to Police three years ago. ¡°The deaf community is very small and one of my family members is deaf and knew Carter and his family,¡± says Ros.
¡°We figured Carter would be a great conduit for getting messaging across about NZSL Week. He really enjoys working with us so makes a great ambassador for the deaf community.¡±
Carter gives Sergeant Richard Kennedy some tips on signing 'New Zealand Sign Language'.
Sergeant Richard Kennedy, from Wellington Police Maritime Unit, says the team enjoyed hosting Carter ¨C and they understand the value of what he taught them.
¡°It was such a pleasure to spend some time with Carter and his mum and show them what we do in the Wellington Maritime Police Unit,¡± he says.
¡°It was really special to learn even just a little bit of sign language and communicate directly with Carter using sign that we had just learned.
¡°There are a few thousand people considered to be deaf in New Zealand and for Police to know even a little sign language is definitely worthwhile.¡±