Meet Columba Park, Specsavers first NZ audiology partner

Specsavers’ first New Zealand store has officially opened its doors – and welcomed its pioneer partner, Columba Park.

Columba, who holds an honours degree in Neuropsychology, as well as a master’s degree in Audiology, brings a wealth of experience to Specsavers Botany, with almost ten years’ experience working in the audiology industry.

Columba says for as long as she can remember, she has been passionate about making a change in the New Zealand Audiology industry – which led her to join Specsavers Audiology.

“I want to have a positive influence on every single person I meet, and when I learned more about Specsavers values and beliefs, particularly around their commitment to providing accessible hearing aids and transparent pricing, I knew it was for me,” she said.

While her Specsavers journey has just begun, Columba is excited for her first year as a business owner, knowing that support and training is built into her partnership.

She says knowing that Specsavers’ support office team is there to provide her with the assistance she needs to manage the ‘back office’ financial, marketing and product side of the business, means she can focus on her patients and the clinical side of her role – helping people with hearing difficulty improve their quality of life.

Columba says one of the unique aspects of her partnership is that while she is her own boss and in charge of the audiology business, she’s not in it alone. “My Optical Partners, Ayah Hadi, Nitin Gulati and Rahul Paramar have warmly welcomed and encouraged the introduction of audiology into the store, and through our weekly partnership meetings and our great open communication, audiology is seamlessly integrated into the business and the optical pre-test journey.”

Columba says she is building her customer base quickly through the pre-testing services offered by the optical side of the business, which now includes a free hearing screener for all optical patients over 40, and has had a fantastic experience with the clients she has seen in her first few weeks.

“I’ve also been able to grow my leadership skills by working directly with the retail team in store, providing training and support to ensure they can effectively assist audiology clients coming into the practice, and teaching them more about audiology and our equipment and product range.”

Columba says joining Specsavers and becoming the pioneer partner in New Zealand is one of the greatest opportunities of her career. “If you’re a clinician wanting to provide your clients with more accessible treatment options, transparent pricing, and high standard audiology service, do not wait a second, come and join Specsavers Audiology,” she says.

If you’re ready to follow in Columba’s footsteps and join our pioneer partners, now is the time to talk to us.

Contact Paysh Wijesinghe on 0497 672 261, email anz.audiologyrecruitment@specsavers.com or visit audiology-anz.com/nz/ for more information about how you can become a Specsavers Audiology Partner.