Warren Maxwell joins elite worldwide artists

Kiwi musician joins global A list hearing initiative Little Bushman lead Warren Maxwell joined A list musicians Rod Stewart and Plácido Domingo in becoming an ambassador for global hearing initiative Hear the World when it launched in Auckland last night.

Hear the World is a worldwide non-profit initiative created by Phonak, one of the world’s leading hearing device manufacturers, to raise awareness about hearing and hearing loss.

Maxwell says he is proud to become the first New Zealand-based Hear the World ambassador. "Music to me is like food for the soul. To appreciate it fully, we need to take good care of our hearing,” he says.

The former Trinity Roots and Fat Freddy’s Drop member appeared in concert with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra at the Auckland Town Hall on Sunday July 13. The APO are also Hear the World ambassadors.

To launch the initiative in New Zealand, the Hear the World mobile testing team, including trained audiologists, offered free two-minute hearing checks in front of the Town Hall before and after the concert.

This will be the first of many Hear the World free hearing checks nationwide as the testing truck travels the country visiting various music and community events. Leading conductor and tenor Plácido Domingo, Rod Stewart, Joss Stone, Bryan Adams, Moby and Annie Lennox are just a few of Hear the World’s global ambassadors.

While hearing loss is one of the world’s most preventable disabilities, it is also one of the most common. Around 500 million people worldwide, more than 10 per cent of the world’s population, are hearing impaired and this number is expected to increase to 700 million by the year 2015. In particular, there are more and more young people affected by hearing loss. In New Zealand around 400,000 people are affected by hearing loss.

“Studies show hearing disabilities can have a significant negative effect on a person’s social, emotional and physical wellbeing,” comments Phonak audiologist Dr Bill Keith.

For more information, visit www.hear-the-world.com