Are there government subsidies for hearing aids in New Zealand?
In New Zealand, Disability Support Services through the Ministry of Social Development provide a Hearing Aid Subsidy to adults who need hearing aids. It amounts to $511.11 (including GST) per hearing aid, which renews every six years. If you require two hearing aids instead of one, you will receive $1,022.22.
All financial support claimed through the subsidy is applied directly to the cost of the hearing aids themselves. The scheme does not cover additional expenses such as hearing assessments, fitting appointments, or other audiology services you may require.
What other hearing aid funding options are available?
You may qualify for other financial support, such as ACC, Veterans’ Affairs, the Disability Support Services Funding Scheme, Work and Income (WINZ), the National Foundation for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing, or the Vincentian Fund for the Elderly. The MNZAS audiological society also has a hearing aid fund for those under extreme financial hardship, which your audiologist/audiometrist can discuss with you.
Am I eligible for the New Zealand Hearing Aid Subsidy?
To qualify for the New Zealand Hearing Aid Subsidy, you must be:
- 16 years old or over,
- Have a permanent hearing loss that requires a hearing aid,
- Be a New Zealand resident who ordinarily lives in New Zealand,
- Not be eligible for ACC, VA, or the Funding Scheme, and
- Have been assessed by an MNZAS audiologist or audiometrist
Disability Support Services provides a freely accessible guide to the hearing aid subsidy scheme, available here: Guide to getting hearing aids: Hearing Aid Subsidy Scheme. The guide for their funding scheme can be found here: Guide to the Hearing Aid Funding Scheme.
I’m James, a Tassie-born audiologist who moved to Aotearoa six years ago and never looked back.
