The Southern Cochlear Implant Programme (SCIP) is pleased to mark an important new chapter for cochlear implant services in Aotearoa New Zealand with the establishment of the Aotearoa Cochlear Implant Programme (ACIP). ACIP is the new national programme for publicly funded cochlear implant services, bringing together SCIP and The Hearing House within a nationally coordinated…
Get ready to turn up the colour! Loud Shirt Day is happening on Friday 16 October 2026, and SCIP is excited to be teaming up once again with The Hearing House and our First Voice partners across Australia. Loud Shirt Day is a fun way to bring friends, whānau, schoolmates, workmates, community groups and sports…
SCIP audiologists Gemma McCombie from Christchurch and Niky Pai from Wellington recently travelled to Bangkok, Thailand, to attend the Advanced Bionics Asia Pacific Audiology Masterclass. The two-day event brought together audiologists and clinical experts from across the Asia-Pacific region, with world-renowned researcher and clinician Dr René Gifford as the keynote speaker. The programme explored the…
Rehabilitation doesn’t just happen during appointments. With the right technology and a little time, you can continue building your listening skills from the comfort of your own home. Independent listening practice is a great way to strengthen your hearing, whether you live alone or simply want to fit in some extra practice between rehabilitation sessions.…
Joanne Lake and Lydia Evans represented SCIP at FCEI 2026 in Austria, sharing local expertise while bringing home new insights from global leaders in family-centred early intervention. Southern Cochlear Implant Programme (SCIP) Lead Paediatric Habilitationist Joanne Lake and Paediatric Habilitationist Lydia Evans have returned from Austria after attending the 7th International Conference on Family-Centred Early…
Sharing books with tamariki is one of the most effective ways to support early language development. Books expose tamariki to a wide range of language and concepts while encouraging joint attention and interaction. One important benefit of shared reading is exposure to new vocabulary and ideas. While reading Where is the Green Sheep?, whānau can…
Congratulations to Tate Redgrave, who has won the 2025 Southern Hearing Charitable Trust scholarship. Each year, the Southern Hearing Charitable Trust (SHCT), in partnership with Forsyth Barr, awards a $5,000 scholarship to support a Cochlear Implant (CI) recipient in tertiary study. Tate was presented with her award in April, with David Kent (Southern Hearing Charitable…
Listening can sometimes feel mentally exhausting, especially in busy environments or after a long day of conversation. This is called listening fatigue. Your brain is working hard to interpret sound through your cochlear implant and this takes more concentration than typical hearing. Here are some simple strategies to help. Take short listening breaks In meetings,…
We’d like to share new joint research carried out by the Northern and Southern Cochlear Implant Programmes that has just been published in the New Zealand Medical Journal. The study, titled “Aotearoa New Zealand Cochlear Implant Programmes Equity Audit”, explored whether Māori are receiving equitable access to cochlear implant (CI) services in NZ. We know…
Each year, the Southern Hearing Charitable Trust (SHCT), in partnership with Forsyth Barr, awards a $5,000 scholarship to support a Cochlear Implant (CI) recipient in tertiary study. A big congratulations to the 2025 recipient, Sam Dannenberg, who was presented with his award last month. 21-year-old Sam is in his final year completing a Bachelor of…