Northern Cochlear Implant Trust: Transforming Lives Through Hearing in the Upper North Island
What is NCIT?
The Northern Cochlear Implant Trust (NCIT) is a registered charitable trust in New Zealand that manages the Northern Cochlear Implant Programme (NCIP), delivering publicly funded cochlear implant services for those living in the northern half of the North Island. NCIT’s mission is to ensure people who meet eligibility criteria have timely access to assessment, surgery, device programming and long-term follow up, with a goal of improving hearing outcomes and quality of life.
Cochlear implants are electronic hearing devices surgically implanted to provide a sense of sound to people with severe to profound hearing loss who receive little or no benefit from hearing aids. The programme includes everything from initial audiology assessment and candidacy evaluation, surgery, programming, to rehabilitation or habilitation (for children) and ongoing care.
Where does NCIT operate?
NCIT serves people living north of Taupō, which covers much of the upper North Island of New Zealand. This region includes Auckland, Northland, Waikato (north of Taupō) and other districts in that geographical area. For people located south of Taupō, there is a separate but comparable programme — the Southern Cochlear Implant Programme (SCIP) — which covers the remainder of the country.
Who is NCIT for?
NCIT is there for:
Children and adults whose hearing loss is severe enough that they do not sufficiently benefit from hearing aids, and who are eligible under the criteria for cochlear implants. These include those born deaf, or who lose their hearing over time.
Families and caregivers navigating hearing loss, especially for children (habilitation) and supporting their language, communication, education and social development. The support doesn’t end at surgery — follow-up care and rehabilitation are essential components.
Health professionals and referrers, including audiologists, Ear-Nose-Throat (ENT) surgeons, speech and language therapists, who work with patients throughout the cochlear implant journey. NCIT contracts with specialist providers to deliver these services.
Services Provided
The NCIP delivered by NCIT involves multiple stages:
Audiology assessments – checking hearing levels, determining degree of loss, whether hearing aids suffice or implants are needed.
Multidisciplinary clinical evaluations / candidacy evaluations – including determining medical and surgical suitability, sometimes imaging etc.
Surgery – insertion of the cochlear implant device by ENT surgeons, contracted via providers like Southern Cross Hospitals.
Device programming and tuning – after implantation, the external parts (processors) need to be tuned to the individual’s hearing needs.
Rehabilitation (for adults) or habilitation (for children) – speech therapy, hearing training, support to build or re-build listening and communication skills. For children particularly, early intervention is critical.
Long-term follow up – monitoring, adjusting devices, ensuring ongoing care.
Partners & Governance
NCIT doesn’t deliver all the services directly; it works via contracts with established clinical providers.
For example:
Southern Cross Hospitals handles the surgical side via ENT surgeons.
The Hearing House is involved with audiology assessments, rehabilitation of adults, habilitation of children, and candidacy evaluation.
The Pindrop Foundation plays a supporting role in awareness, education, clinician training, and advocacy, although not a direct provider of the implant service.
NCIT is overseen by a Board of Trustees comprising people with expertise in health sector leadership, clinical governance, financial management, and community representation. The Board ensures accountability — both clinical (outcomes, safety) and financial — and oversight of the programme’s quality.
Why It Matters
Hearing loss is a major challenge for many people, not only in terms of hearing itself, but in wider aspects including communication, education, employment, social inclusion and mental wellbeing. In children, hearing issues especially in early life can affect speech and language development, school readiness, and social skills. For adults, untreated severe hearing loss can lead to isolation, difficulties in work or daily life. Cochlear implants can significantly improve a person’s ability to hear, understand speech, participate in conversations, learn new sounds, and lead a fuller life.
Having a publicly funded, regionally managed service like NCIT ensures that cost is not the barrier (for those who qualify), and that care is coordinated and standards maintained. It also helps reduce inequalities that might otherwise arise depending on where people live. Delays in assessment, surgery, or rehabilitation can reduce the effectiveness of treatment, so timely access is crucial.
Who Pays, Who Is Eligible
Because this is a publicly funded programme, people in the NCIP do not generally have to pay the full cost of the implant journey — once they meet the eligibility criteria. The government, via NCIT, covers many of the costs of assessment, surgery, device programming, and follow-up clinical care. Eligibility is determined via audiology testing, clinical evaluation, and meeting criteria set under the programme. People are referred, evaluated, then if approved, move to surgery and subsequent rehabilitation.
Challenges & Looking Forward
While NCIT plays a key role, there are challenges:
Ensuring equitable access across all communities in the service area, especially in more remote areas, where distance from providers might make travel or follow-ups harder.
Keeping up with technological developments, device improvements, research in cochlear implants, plus ensuring providers are trained and systems are up-to-date.
Sustaining funding, resources, and clinical capacity (surgeons, audiologists, speech therapists etc) to manage demand.
Ensuring early detection in children (for those born deaf or who lose hearing early) so that habilitation can begin as soon as possible.
Cochlear Implant Support in the Upper North Island
For those living north of Taupō in the Upper North Island who are facing severe hearing loss, the Northern Cochlear Implant Trust provides an essential lifeline. By managing the publicly funded Northern Cochlear Implant Programme, NCIT plays a crucial role in giving eligible people access to assessment, surgery, rehabilitation and long-term support so they can reconnect with sound, language, and community.
If you or someone you know is struggling with hearing loss and think cochlear implants might help, contact NCIT or a relevant audiologist/ENT professional. Understanding eligibility is the first step toward better hearing, and NCIT is there to make that journey as accessible and effective as possible.
Written by Stu at EightySix Digital