schools continued in the 1970s and 1980s and was considered a positive experience by all concerned. Bilingual teaching In the late 1970s, the school switched to bilingual teaching and currently, in addition to presenting the curriculum in NZSL, Sign Supported English and oral (aural) modes, the college now offers the facility for deaf and hearing-impaired students being educated in mainstream settings to learn about NZSL as part of a Deaf Studies curriculum. 2011 Christchurch earthquakes After the Christchurch earthquakes in February and June 2011 made the old Redcliffs School site unsafe, the van Asch Deaf Education Centre hosted the 400 pupils and staff for nine years pending a decision to close or rebuild that school. Eventually a new site was found and the school building were rebuilt in Redcliffs Park on Beachville Road, across the road from the original site, and the school moved to its new site on 22 June 2020. Merger In 2012 the Boards of Trustees of the van Asch Deaf Education Centre and Kelston Deaf Education Centre combined to become a single board running both schools. On 9 April 2019, as a result of a request by the Combined Board of both schools, the Minister of Education announced that van Asch Deaf Education Centre and Kelston Deaf Education Centre would merge in 2020 at the beginning of the third term and become one national school to support more than 2700 deaf or hard of hearing children and students up to the age of 21 in the New Zealand Education system. In 2020, van Asch became a residential campus and support centre for Ko Taku Reo. Deaf staff The employment of deaf gardeners, cooks and cleaners has been credited with having a significant effect on the transmission of signs between generations, with children picking up signs the auxiliary staff used to communicate with each other, despite disapproval from teaching staff. In 1992 the Board of Trustees had its first deaf chairperson. In 1993 the first Sign Language tutor was employed. In 1997 the first deaf teacher was employed. References Further reading van Asch, Cynthia, Gerrit van Asch: Pioneer of oral education of the deaf (1989) Schools for the deaf in New Zealand Schools in Christchurch Special schools in New Zealand Educational institutions established in 1880 1880 establishments in New Zealand Defunct schools in New Zealand