Photography: Carmen Bird
For much of her life, Naketa Phillips has felt straddled between two worlds. The aspiring Māori audiologist was born deaf, but grew up with a cochlear implant making it possible for her to hear.
“I sometimes see myself living as a bridge between two worlds – I know what it’s like to have complete silence and to hear well,” shares Naketa, 28.
As an adult, she started learning New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) and is embracing her deaf identity, and the wider deaf and hard-of-hearing community – all while using social media to inspire others.
“One of my biggest goals is to use TikTok to raise awareness about hearing loss and deaf culture,” explains Naketa, who goes by NakSigns online.
“I think a lot of people don’t realise that hearing loss exists on a spectrum. Some people do really well with hearing aids or cochlear implants, while others still face a lot of challenges. Everyone’s experience of hearing loss is different and there isn’t one story that fits everyone.”
Naketa was born in Whakatāne, and doctors discovered her hearing loss when she was 18 months old.
“My dad was suspicious that I was not waking up to the vacuum, so he started banging pots, realising I was not waking up to the loud clashing noise,” says Naketa.
“This is where the journey began for my whānau looking into hearing interventions.”
Finding the missing piece of her identity
The exact cause of Naketa’s deafness was not determined, but soon after she received a cochlear implant – a surgically implanted electronic device that bypasses the damaged parts of the inner ear and provides the sensation of sound.
It was life-changing for Naketa and her whānau. But as medical professionals encouraged her to catch up on missed speech by communicating orally, it also meant she grew up completely detached from deaf culture.
“My parents, at the time, had no exposure or awareness of the deaf community,” she says.
For years, Naketa focused on fitting into the hearing world. But as she got older, she began asking herself a question that changed everything: “Who am I without my cochlear implant?” She tells, “That led me to my purpose of always staying connected with my deaf culture because without the cochlear implant, that would’ve been my upbringing.”
Since learning NZSL and immersing herself in the deaf community, she’s discovered a deeper sense of belonging. Of Rongowhakaata and Whakatōhea descent, being Māori is the other central pillar of her identity.
Turning her lived experience into a purpose
Naketa is currently studying a Master of Audiology at the University of Auckland and hopes to become the first deaf Māori audiologist.
“I wanted to give back to the hard-of-hearing community and make a meaningful difference,” she says.
“I’ve always enjoyed helping people and audiology felt like the perfect way to combine that passion with my own lived experience.”
Outside of her studies, Naketa has also built a growing following on TikTok, where she talks about the realities of life with hearing loss, shares accessible ways to embrace NZSL and challenges misconceptions.
“I just want to share my journey in a real way, especially around being deaf and reconnecting with my identity,” enthuses Naketa.
“If I can help even one person better understand or shift their perspective, then I’ve achieved my goal.”
Follow Naketa on TikTok @naksigns
