Andrew Wong is a specialist ENT anaesthetist who has been involved in cochlear implant surgery for the past 20 years. He has seen significant strides in technology and patient advancements over that time, and the life-changing differences that these can make to our kiritaki/clients and their families is what brings him the greatest satisfaction. “Hearing the stories of patients and families after implantation—how hearing has opened up new connections, confidence, and opportun

We welcome donations of pre-used cochlear implant and hearing aid equipment, particularly sound processors and accessories, that you or your whānau no longer need. Donated equipment that is suitable for reuse can be put to good use as backup or replacement equipment for other kiritaki/clients. Sound processors and related equipment are valuable items, and equipment that is no longer needed by one person can often provide an important backup or replacement option for someone e

September is Wills Month in Aotearoa, a time to encourage people to think about making or updating their Will, and about the people, communities and causes that are important to them. Making a Will is about more than deciding what happens to your belongings. It is an opportunity to put your wishes in writing and make plans for the people and things you care about. For some people, this includes leaving a gift to a charity. A gift in a Will, also known as a bequest, can be any

Today we welcomed Kas Brokenshire and Jacinta Gibson, Clinical Nurse Specialists, and Jikku Alex, Advanced Clinical Social Worker, from Māngere Refugee Health Service (MRHS) to The Hearing House for lunch and a chance to learn more about each other's work. MRHS is part of Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and is based at Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa – Māngere Refugee Resettlement Centre. The team supports refugees arriving through New Zealand's Refugee Quota Programme during the

As part of last week’s Te Wiki o te Reo Māori celebration, one of our kiritaki/clients Chevelle Aupouri shared a special story about a friendship that began here at The Hearing House. Chevelle and fellow Hearing House kiritaki Len Byles are both cochlear implant users. They met at our Matariki celebration earlier this year, where kiritaki, whānau and members of our community came together to share kōrero, waiata and time with one another. Chevelle and Len at The Hearing Hou

After our first Connect & Share session in Hamilton in May, we took the programme further afield in August, visiting Hamilton, Rotorua and Pāpāmoa. Over three days, 64 kiritaki/clients and whānau joined us to meet others, share experiences, ask questions and talk about life with a cochlear implant. Demand was particularly strong in Hamilton. With more people wanting to attend than we could accommodate in our usual small-group format, we adapted the session and, for the first

Today, The Hearing House team came together to celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – sharing language, waiata, food and time with one another. We began with a karakia before two of our kiritaki/clients, Chevelle Aupouri and Kathy Thomas, led us in waiata, teaching us the words and guiding us through Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi. 🎶 There was plenty of singing, laughter and encouragement as we gave it a go. It was particularly special to have Chevelle and Kathy share their knowledge with u

This Speech Language Therapy Awareness Week (14–20 September), we’re celebrating the Speech Language Therapists (SLTs) at The Hearing House and the important role they play in supporting kiritaki/clients and whānau to communicate, connect and participate with confidence. At The Hearing House, our SLTs have a particular focus on supporting communication for people with cochlear implants. They work alongside kiritaki/clients, whānau and the wider clinical team to understand ind

For Master of Audiology student Ivy Yang, the opportunity to combine science, technology and clinical care has led her to The Hearing House, where she is undertaking research that could help audiologists better understand how children and adults with cochlear implants access speech sounds. Ivy is in the second year of her Master of Audiology programme at the University of Auckland and is working with The Hearing House paediatric team to establish local normative data for the