The New Zealand Relay (provided by Sprint) provides telephone services for people who are deaf, hearing impaired, deaf-blind, or have a speech disability.
You can use New Zealand Relay to make telephone calls to family, friends, businesses - in fact to anyone who has a phone.
Relay services will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year. There is no call surcharge for relay assistance, and both local and national calls are free.
Calls overseas, to mobile phones and to 0900 numbers do incur a charge. Users must register with the relay service before making these types of calls.
You can also make a relay call through your computer by logging on to www.internet.nzrelay.co.nz
You can type your call and read the reply on your computer screen, without needing a TTY phone. (International calls are not permitted using this service.)
A Textphone (TTY) user dials the toll free number of New Zealand Relay and types his/her conversation to a Relay Assistant (RA).
The RA reads the typed message to a Voice User (hearing person).
The RA relays the hearing person’s spoken words by typing them back to the TTY user.
The Voice Carry Over option allows those wish to speak but cannot hear, to talk directly to the party they are calling. Then they read replies send back through the RA.
The Hearing Carry Over option allows those with a speech disability to type their end of the conversation to the RA, and listen directly to the replies.
A range of Textphones (TTY) is available for those who cannot use a standard telephone, or amplified telephone headset.
TTY phones are provided free of charge to those who qualify for a Community Services Card. There is a separate charge for telephone line rental for all phones.
If you wish to rent a Textphone you must read the eligibility criteria and complete an application form available at New Zealand Relay.
Those receiving a War Disablement Pension for hearing loss or speech disability, who do not qualify for a free phone, may still qualify for assistance, through:
Veteran Affairs NZ
PO Box 5146
Wellington
Freephone: 0800 483 8372
Fax: 04 495 2080
Email: veterans@xtra.co.nz
TTY: 0800 4 711 711
Voice: 0800 4 712 712
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
TTY: 0800 4 713 713
Voice: 0800 4 715 715
Fax: 0800 4 FAX NZR (329 697)
Do not use the Relay number
Emergency TTY: 0800 16 16 16
Emergency Fax: 0800 16 16 10
Voice: 111
For textphone (TTY), Telebraille, and assistive listening devices rental, repairs or purchase
TTY: 0800 4 716 716
Voice: 0800 4 717 717
For more information, visit the New Zealand Relay website.
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