Our History

The Hearing House was established in 1998 in response to a problem that cochlear implant surgeons recognised: children who had received a cochlear implant were not learning to listen and speak like their hearing peers. The cochlear implant provides the child with access to sound, however it cannot teach the child what this sound means. The child had missed out on years of language development and needed frequent support and expert guidance to catch up.

It was the vision of a group of concerned parents, professionals and surgeons to develop a centre to enable deaf children to listen and speak. After much research this group decided that the best way to achieve this goal was to provide Auditory-Verbal Therapy. Thanks to the support of various groups and individuals, the Greenlane premises were purchased and The Hearing House was born. Auditory-Verbal Therapy was provided free of charge to deaf children and their families.

In commitment to The Hearing House’s philosophy to emulating international best practice, The Hearing House Preschool was born in December 2000. The experience of similar international centres showed that a preschool for deaf and hearing children supported a deaf child’s transition to mainstream school. The Hearing House Preschool was opened in December 2000 by Prime Minister Rt Hon. Helen Clark.

Today The Hearing House provides a service comparable to the best in the world. Our therapists are internationally certified and receive regular training to continually upskill and keep up with developments in this dynamic field. The Hearing House has been recognised as a “centre of excellence” and an internationally recognised leader in the field has said “The Hearing House has put New Zealand on the international map.”

The Hearing House continues to provide Auditory-Verbal Therapy free of charge to children with a hearing loss and their families. Other services added to The Hearing House Programme as a result of the commitment to best practice are Audiology, Parent Support, Transition to School, and Training and Development for industry professionals.