Tēnā koutou katoa. A few hours before we were going to share our 2022 Yearbook with you on Monday, we learned of the passing of a dear colleague and friend, Vicki Sharman.

At the time of writing, this news is still very fresh for us as a community and as we move into what would normally be the celebration phase of our year, we find ourselves unexpectedly in a state of grief.

Vicki was most recently our NZQA Lead & Principal’s Nominee and she worked tirelessly for the benefit of our Deaf and hard of hearing learners. She is highly regarded by colleagues both inside and outside our school community and we will miss her greatly. We will acknowledge her tremendous contribution to our kaupapa more fully in the coming days and weeks.

We know that Vicki would want the achievements and successes of our Deaf and hard of hearing learners celebrated and acknowledged, so please take the time to enjoy this snapshot of the story of Deaf Education in New Zealand in the year that was 2022.

Ngā mihi nui,

Denise Powell