The New Zealand Deaf Games is the premier National Sports Competition for the Deaf in New Zealand. The New Zealand Deaf Games are held every two years, and are held in various cities throughout New Zealand. Three Zones; North, Central and South all compete in different sports for the Aotearoa Turi Shield.
The New Zealand Deaf Games was first held in Auckland in 1969, but it was not until the next year in 1970 at Palmerston North that the Aotearoa Turi Shield was introduced. In the early days of the New Zealand Deaf Games, it was contested between the Deaf Clubs or Deaf Societies. It was not until the 1990s that the format of the New Zealand Deaf Games changed to the Inter-Zonal Championships.
The logo of the New Zealand Deaf Games symbolises people holding hands, shows an abstract hand, incorporating a Maori design with the koru. Click here for a description of the New Zealand Deaf Games logo.
