A New Era in the Right to Sign A Statutory Board would provide a stronger formal partnership between government agencies and the deaf community. It would have the greater degree of permanence needed to develop a longer term NZSL strategy within the context of a national languages policy. On the other hand, it would be considerably less expensive than a NZSL commission. This Inquiry’s strong preferred option is that the Ministry of Education would lead the development of such a Statutory Board, given the pivotal role education plays in access to NZSL. However, it is one of a range of government agencies contributing to the promotion and maintenance of NZSL. Therefore, the Inquiry recommends that decisions about a lead agency and progressing options for an NZSL Statutory Board are made by the Ministerial Committee on Disability Issues, based on advice from the proposed Expert Advisory Group on NZSL. Both the Statutory Board and Expert Advisory group should include a majority of members who are deaf NZSL users. Other members should be recognised experts with demonstrated experience in developing, promoting and protecting NZSL. 13