Talented sportsman Finn Diphoorn is proving that a cochlear implant is no barrier to achieving his goals and living life to its fullest.
As the 2023 recipient of the Southern Hearing Charitable Trust Scholarship, sponsored by Forsyth Barr, Finn is honoured to put the funds towards his tertiary studies. Finn lives in Napier and is completely deaf in his right ear and has partial hearing in his left. The decision to receive a cochlear implant in his right ear at the age of seven has seen him thrive and follow his passions. “I don’t really notice that I have a cochlear implant anymore, I just get on with what I want to do. I don’t see it as a barrier stopping people from what they want to do in life,” Finn says. He is following in the sporting footsteps of his family, playing for provincial Hawke’s Bay teams in both cricket and hockey. “Sport has always been a part of the family. My mum was an athletic sprinter and dad used to play rugby for quite a while, so being brought up in a sporty family has helped,” he says.
Now 19, Finn’s life still revolves around sport. In winter, he played in a regional weekly tournament with the top two teams from Hawke’s Bay, Palmerston North and Wellington competing. This summer, Finn has a busy schedule with cricket games on Saturdays and even some Friday nights. Finn’s cochlear implant has helped him to hear instructions and game strategies more clearly, even when the wind intervenes. “Once I had the cochlear implant in, I found I could hear clearly when playing cricket, I could hear the whistle and my teammates calling my name. It made it easier to know what to do and where to be,” Finn says. “I’ve always tried to stay focused on looking at people, so if they need me somewhere, I’ll already be looking at them and know what to do. Sometimes I do get shouted at, but I guess that happens in cricket anyway!”
Finn also played rugby throughout high school, wearing headgear to protect his cochlear implant. This year, he is channeling his passion for sport into a one-year Diploma in Sport, Recreation and Exercise at the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT). Help from the learning support team at EIT made a big difference for his studies this year. Once graduating, he hopes to pursue a career in sports, possibly moving away from Napier to experience another area in New Zealand.
Reflecting on his childhood and accomplishments, Finn expressed gratitude for his supportive family, friends and teachers who have allowed him to excel. “My nan looked after me when I was young. She always picked me up after school and took me around to sports practices. It’s been a great family to be around and we all get along well.”
“The deaf teachers and teacher aides that helped me throughout my school years made a huge difference in and outside of class,” he says. At school, Finn remembers how special it was to have a close friend who also had a cochlear implant – she had one in each ear. They played together on the hockey team and were a great support to each other while navigating life with an implant. “At the AIMS Games in 2017, we were the first school in New Zealand to have two people with cochlear implants on a hockey team. We won silver so that was pretty cool – it was a successful year,” Finn says.
He is a firm believer in changing the perception to recognise that a cochlear implant is not a barrier to living a full life. “I obviously had barriers with some sports wearing protective headgear (rugby), or taking the implant off when it rained, but I still played how I wanted to play and the people around me adapted, too,” he says.
His advice? “Be yourself and do what you want to do in life. Don’t be afraid to push yourself to the best of your ability.” Finn is looking forward to reconnecting with friends and family over the summer break and working casual hours around his busy cricket schedule, before starting the full-time job hunt for 2024.
Pictured: SCIP Board Chair David Kent presenting Finn Diphoorn with his Scholarship alongside Forsyth Barr Investment Adviser Jonathan Davidson.