Disability in New Zealand

You are here: Disability in NZ > Ministry-Funded Services > Equipment for people who are deaf or have hearing loss factsheet - online version

Also on this page:
More information
Translations

Ministry-funded Services

Equipment for people who are deaf or have hearing loss

Are you Deaf or do you have a hearing loss?
If you need equipment to live safely in your home, to work or study, or to look after someone who depends on you, the Ministry of Health may be able to help.

Who can get equipment?

If you are a New Zealand resident living in New Zealand, and you have a permanent hearing loss or deafness which isn’t covered by ACC or Veterans Affairs, you may be able to get equipment through the Ministry of Health.

Hearing aids

You may be able to get Ministry of Health funding towards the cost of hearing aid(s) if they are essential for you to:

• work full-time or to your maximum capacity
• study at tertiary level or do vocational training leading to future employment (full-time or to your maximum capacity)
• register as a job seeker to help you find a job
• safely look after someone who depends on you
• communicate with other people when you have more than one disability (such as intellectual disability and hearing loss, or vision and hearing loss).

Hearing aid subsidy

If you need a hearing aid, but do not need it for the reasons given above, you may be able to get help with the cost of the hearing aid. An audiologist (see over) will be able to tell you more about this subsidy.

Hearing aids for children

The Ministry of Health provides funding for hearing aids and FM (Frequency Modulation) systems for preschoolers, and hearing aids for children and young people aged 20 years and under who are studying at school or tertiary level. An audiologist in a District Health Board will be able to tell you more about this funding.

How can I get hearing aids?

You can have your assessment with an audiologist working at a District Health Board or in private practice. If you visit a private audiologist you will have to pay for this assessment, and any fitting costs.

The audiologist completes an assessment of your needs, and may recommend hearing aid(s) and/or other hearing or alerting equipment. If you need hearing aids for any of the reasons outlined above, the audiologist can make an application to Accessable or Enable New Zealand for funding assistance. You may need to pay towards the costs of the hearing aid(s).

Assistive hearing and alerting

equipment If you need equipment other than hearing aids to enable you to work or study or to help you live safely in your own home, you may be able to get help through the Ministry of Health.

Assistive hearing and alerting equipment include items such as fax machines and visual or vibrating alerts (eg, smoke detectors or door bells). Standard amplified telephones and smoke alarms are not funded.

Assessors for hearing or alerting equipment can be audiologists, hearing therapists or service co-ordinators from the Deaf Association and Royal NZ Foundation of the
Blind (Deafblind services, Ph 0800 24 33 33).

What do Accessable and Enable New Zealand do?

Accessable and Enable New Zealand receive applications from assessors, and check these to ensure the assessor has considered the different support and equipment options available. This is so any equipment you receive is suitable and the best for you.

Accessable and Enable New Zealand can arrange repairs of funded hearing aids and equipment. See your audiologist about repairs to, and the cost to repair, your subsidised hearing aids.

For more information contact:

Accessable (Auckland/Northland)
Ph 0508 001 002 Fax 09 620 1702
www.accessable.co.nz

Enable New Zealand (rest of New Zealand)
Ph 0800 17 1981 Fax 06 353 5876
www.disabilityfunding.co.nz

Deaf Association of New Zealand promotes Deaf awareness and the use of sign language, and provides a range of services to the community such as education programmes and interpreter services. They can work with you to help you get the equipment you need.
Ph/TTY 09 828 3282 Fax 09 828 3235

Hearing Therapy Services are funded by the Ministry of Health and provided free of charge. Hearing therapists can assess your hearing needs, provide information about hearing aids and other equipment, teach you how to improve communication and help you get the equipment you need.
Ph 0800 008 011 Fax 04 499 5853
www.life.nzl.org

Copies of the factsheet for people who are deaf or have hearing problems (in PDF format) can be downloaded in the following languages:

Maori (PDF, 1 MB)


Page last updated: 1 October 2009