Auckland Council received a complaint about its decision not to provide simultaneous interpretation into New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) of its livestreamed information session for candidates on 11 July 2019.
The council strives to make its communications and services accessible and the recording of the livestreamed session is available with NZSL translation on the Vote Auckland website. However, we acknowledge the impact not having accessible content available during the livestreamed session had on members of the Auckland deaf community and we would like to apologise to them.
Understanding and responding to the needs of Auckland’s citizens and communities is at the heart of what council does, and we work hard to be inclusive of all Aucklanders in everything we do. In the build-up to this year’s election, our elections team has worked with a wide range of community organisations to reach Auckland’s diverse communities, to spread the word about standing for election and voting. We are, however, always looking at ways we can improve the accessibility of our communications.
We would like to draw attention to the NZSL-accessible elections resources that are available for both candidates and voters on Vote Auckland website, including the “How to vote in the local elections” video and the Pre-Election Report. We encourage all Aucklanders to vote in the local elections 2019. Voting opened on 20 September 2019 and closes at noon on 12 October 2019. Elections are an important opportunity to have your say on issues affecting your local community.
If you require special voting assistance, please contact the Electoral Officer on 0800 922 822 or email info@electionservices.co.nz to arrange this. We are also proposing to offer, with the Auckland Deaf Society, an assisted voting session organised specifically for members of the deaf community. Please check the Vote Auckland website for details.
