The Oticon Foundation in New Zealand was established in October 1976. It is a charitable trust of Oticon New Zealand Limited which was formed a year earlier.

The Oticon company was first established in Denmark in 1904 by Hans Demant. He was driven by the desire to help his wife and others with similar hearing problems to lead a better life. Today Oticon is the world's oldest hearing aid manufacturer.

The Oticon Foundation in Denmark, established by Hans Demant's son William, became the world's first charitable foundation focusing on hearing impairment. The humanistic philosophy of the original founder has been the underlying principle at Oticon for more than 100 years.

In New Zealand, income generated from the Foundation's investments is distributed to groups and organizations seeking financial support for projects that benefit the hearing impaired.

Grants are allocated annually and each application is evaluated by the Trustees.

  Click here to view The Oticon Foundation in New Zealand Brochure (to view the PDF-file Adobe Acrobat can be downloaded free of charge here).

The New Zealand Trustees

The Oticon Foundation in New Zealand is managed by a board of trustees. Each year, the Trustees call for applications and distribute grants to selected projects via the Secretary.

The Oticon Foundation Trustees: Graeme Hall (Chairman), Tim Olphert (Retired), Karen Pullar (Secretary to the Trustees), David Underwood (Retired).