How can we help you
We provide a range of education and advocacy services.
See our membership area for discounted products - How you can help us, further hearing related services are here.
Support Groups
Our services include hearing loss support groups throughout the Bay of Plenty region for our hard-of-hearing community and their whanau, as well as our cochlear implant consumer groups.
School Education
Our free school educational program engages school-aged children through personal interaction and live puppet shows, helping them learn about hearing health, the dangers of loud noise, and how to prevent noise-induced hearing loss. The Sounds Good program can be adapted for any age group and is suitable for a variety of audiences, including adults. During the shows, we distribute bookmarks that feature a sound chart and a brief message on protecting your ears from loud sounds. We envisage that this message will be shared with families, encouraging everyone to consider how they can safeguard their ears and hearing health.
Talks and Presentations
We promote awareness and education about the causes, prevention, and consequences of hearing loss to various audiences, including hospice volunteers, secondary healthcare sectors, and care homes. After our presentations on hearing loss and hearing awareness at local businesses and clinics, we collect feedback forms. Responses included comments such as, “This certainly made me think about how to have more empathy when dealing with people with hearing loss,” and “a very good presentation with practical assistance for addressing hearing loss.”
Workshops
We offer a variety of workshops for our community, focusing on the effective use of current services, such as NZ Relay. Our NZ Relay workshop helps attendees set up laptops and mobile phones and teaches them how to use this service effectively. Additionally, we collaborate with audiologists to conduct workshops that guide participants on how to use their hearing aids more effectively.