There are three main avenues of hearing aid funding in New Zealand, and in our Diagnostic Hearing Test and Hearing Aid Recommendation appointments, we work with you to get the best funding you can. These types of funding cannot stack – people are typically eligible for one of the below:
1. Ministry of Health
a) Enable Subsidy:
This is $511.11 per ear ($1022.22 for people needing two hearing aids). Everyone who is a New Zealander by citizenship or permanent residence is eligible for this funding towards hearing devices. We apply for this on your behalf at the end of the hearing aid trial, as no pre-approval is required.
b) Enable Hearing Aid Funding Scheme:
If you meet certain extra criteria, you may be eligible for full funding towards hearing aids. This criteria includes:
- a child or young person up to the age of 21 years who is in full time study
- an adult 16 years of age or over who has complex needs (e.g a dual-disability that affects communication)
- an adult 16 years of age and over who has a community services card and is either working full time, in full time study, seeking employment, engaged in voluntary work or is the main carer for a dependent person.
2. ACC
ACC can cover hearing loss and hearing aids for patients who meet certain criteria. If you have worked for more than 10 years in a noisy environment (in New Zealand) and have a certain type of hearing loss, we may be able to apply to ACC for funding on your behalf. ACC are quite strict, so we can’t apply unless you meet the criteria (and even then, they can still decline the claim). We do the application with you in clinic.
For those that are accepted, ACC can give between $3100 – $5200 towards hearing devices every six years. ACC also provide funding for ongoing maintenance and appointments – see our ACC page below for more information.
3. Veterans Affairs
If you have served in the New Zealand Defence Force and meet certain criteria, you may be eligible for hearing aid funding through Veterans Affairs.
Our Audiologists can help you figure out if you are eligible depending on when you served, and help you apply if you are not already under the care of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Affairs typically cover the full cost of hearing devices and related appointments.
Extra Funding Avenues
We work with you to make hearing devices as financially accessible as possible.
MTF Finance
We work with MTF Finance in Northlands, who, with an easy online application, allow you to pay off the cost of your devices with us. We can do this in clinic with you.
WINZ quotes
We can provide quotes for WINZ and apply for local grants that may be available. with you.
Low cost options
We also have second-hand hearing aids in the clinic that we fit to people in need for a very low appointment cost.