Ember Innovations Pānui

Spring has arrived – a season of renewal, growth, and bold beginnings. Just like the shoots pushing through the warming soil, our mahi at Ember Innovations is stretching into new spaces, fuelled by curiosity, courage, and the collective energy of our community. This pānui gathers stories of momentum and possibility – from innovators daring to reimagine mental health and wellbeing, to milestones we’re celebrating together.

Ember Innovations has recently launched the new Research Grants round for 2025 with our partners at the University of Auckland. This initiative brings our commitment to innovation, mental health, and the importance of lived experience to life in a different way, and reflects our dedication to supporting a broad spectrum of research that contributes to understanding mental health and wellbeing. We invite researchers who share our vision to apply for one of our two distinct grant streams:

The Wellbeing Innovation Research Grant aims to advance innovative solutions in mental health, addiction, and holistic wellbeing.

The Lived Experience Research Grant supports researchers who openly draw on their personal experiences of mental distress, substance, or non-substance harm. Aimed at fostering a more compassionate Aotearoa New Zealand, this grant recognizes the unique insights and valuable contributions such researchers bring to academia. While research can be in any discipline, applicants must be willing to share their lived experience, with Ember offering guidance on doing so safely and appropriately.

For criteria and deadlines check our website.

Ember Innovations is delighted to launch a space in our pānui to showcase the mahi done by our research alumni. This space is for them to to share their learnings and insights for other researchers, our kaimahi, and the wider Mental Health Innovation ecosystem. Learning about the work our alumni have done and the opportunities they have pursued since receiving their grants has been very rewarding. These interviews will soon be on our website, but for now, we are happy to share a summary of Jinsong Chen’s research project:

Innovative App Targets Smoking Cessation for People with Mental Health Conditions

Motivated by New Zealand’s disproportionately high smoking rates among people with mental distress, a groundbreaking research project was developed and a smartphone-based smoking cessation app piloted.  The project aimed to create an accessible, evidence-based digital intervention to support both physical and mental well-being. The app was specifically designed for individuals with mental health conditions.

The research unfolded in two phases: a systematic literature review, followed by a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). The review revealed a striking lack of effective, targeted apps and a concerning gap between academic interventions (theory-driven but with limited reach) and popular commercial apps (widely used but lacking evidence). Surprisingly, only one of the ten studies reviewed measured mental health outcomes, despite the strong connection between smoking and mental distress.

Using a collaborative product development model, the research team co-designed the app with input from users, clinicians, and designers, integrating behavioural activation therapy and the Behaviour Change Wheel. This dual-focus intervention is a first in its space, offering tailored support for both smoking cessation and mental health improvement.

While the app is still in its early rollout phase, end-users, including smokers with lived experience, clinicians, and researchers, have already benefited from its development. The project highlights the essential role Ember Innovations plays in supporting equity-driven, high-impact research that traditional funders often overlook.

In Dr Jinsong Chen’s words: “The grant provided not only financial support but also legitimacy and visibility for a project addressing a highly specific but deeply underserved intersection: smoking cessation for people with mental health conditions. Traditional funding sources often hesitate to invest in early-phase or cross-disciplinary digital mental health interventions. Ember’s support enabled us to conduct a rigorous systematic review, develop a co-designed app prototype, and prepare for a pilot trial—essential building blocks for long-term impact.”

Emerging Ideas

We're excited to see ideas for projects emerging from this community-driven kaupapa in the mid-central region of Te Tai Tokerau. From raising awareness of FASD and FASD informed practice, through education that works for affected whānau, and supporting them to thrive, to wraparound support and multi-agency collaboration, we're exploring what might create a real difference for whānau affected by FASD and substance exposure during pregnancy. Watch this space for more information and ways to join our partners and supporters and get involved.

Dovetail joins us as Evaluation Support

For innovations to have a good chance of achieving their potential, it's helpful to embed learning rhythms and ways to understand impact from the start. We're delighted to have Dovetail walking alongside us and bringing their expertise in evaluation and social impact management to this kaupapa.

We're delighted to welcome Matt Newman as Project Manager for the FASD Challenge Kaupapa!

Mauriora ki a tātou katoa!

Nō Kotirana me Ingarangi ōku tīpuna.

Pakeke mai au ki te taha o te awa o Whanganui, i ngā whenua o Te Ati Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, nā rātou te reo, nā rātou te mana.

I am really excited to join the Ember Innovations whānau, working alongside NorthAble and Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi in the Challenge-Led Innovation programme. I am passionate about striving for an Aotearoa that is grounded in its understanding of history and purposeful in its community-led decisions for the future. Previously, my work has been in education (Kura Kaupapa and Kura Auraki) and youth development, leading teams and programmes in some of Aotearoa’s most underserved communities. Passionate about reconnecting with our taiao and spending time in the veggie garden, I’m looking forward to supporting those already doing incredible mahi serving their communities here in Te Tai Tokerau.

Today is FASD Awareness Day and September is International FASD Awareness Month. Our friends at FASD-CAN are making some amazing training opportunities available for caregivers, whānau and community kaimahi.

• A three-part webinar series starting on September 11 (this Thursday) for educators and caregiver with an amazing education specialist from Scotland – these have been discounted from $50 to $30 each for September only - click here.
• An awesome five-week wānanga in the Hokianga with RuruHana and Fran Hauraki  beginning on September 18 - click here.
• Our very first ‘FASD 101’ (you heard it here first!) for community kaimahi and caregivers (non-clinical) starting October 7 in Tāmaki Makaurau – these will be rolled out all over the motu in the coming months! -click here.

Ember Innovations and the King's Trust Aotearoa co-hosted the unconference space at Involve 2025, and it was mindblowingly good. Each session grew bigger than the last, a clear sign that word had spread quickly: this was the place to be. Rangatahi showed up in force, driving much of the kōrero and energy. Across four sessions, participants dived into thirteen kaupapa including: Youth leadership; AI: exciting or scary; Rangatahi wards?; Collaboration and collectivism; Funding for the youth sector; Takatāpuitanga; Positive youth development vs negative workplaces; Hauora of youth workers; Gaming and gambling; Active allyship and accompliceship; Caring for kaimahi; and Shifting to high-trust funding models. The breadth of the topics - and the passion with which they were explored - showed how deeply the youth sector is thinking about its present and future.

Ember Innovations loves unconferencing because it creates space for conversations to emerge from the energy, interests, and challenges people bring with them in the moment. Instead of predetermined panels or one-way delivery, the format invites curiosity, collaboration, and shared ownership of knowledge. It gives people the chance to raise the questions that matter most, and to build collective understanding and pathways for action out of kōrero from the emerging future. We believe every conference should have an unconference element—because the wisdom, ideas, and solutions we most need often surface when the mic is placed in the hands of the people. Ka nui te mihi to everyone who joined us and a HUGE shout out to our mates at the King's Trust. Got a conference, hui or wānanga coming up where you reckon unconferencing or open space technology could be useful? Get in touch 🙂

Belonging.
It's a word we hear so often, but what does it really mean?
At Ember Innovations, we're building a community—a home for innovators, changemakers, and mental health advocates. We believe that a true sense of belonging is at the heart of our work. To do this right, we need to understand what belonging means to you. So where does belonging fit in our world and how can we create this here at Ember Innovations?
We want to hear your story. So, what is the significance or importance of 'belonging,' and what does this mean to you? 
Share your thoughts, experiences, and stories with us by visiting our Wellsphere Te Manahau page here.

Ember Innovations would love to invite you to our inaugural team nature walk on Friday, September 26th, at 8 AM in Cornwall Park, Auckland. We will meet at 8am at the Cornwall Park Cafe at Pohutakawa Drive and should arrive back at the cafe by 9am. We hope this is an opportunity to boost our collective wellbeing by creating connection and insight and what better time to walk in the park than Spring? RSVP is essential, please email tatiana@emberinnovations.nz to let us know you will join us.