Ember Innovations Pānui July 2025
Matariki marks a time of exciting new beginnings - and some endings - for Ember Innovations, along with a flurry of activity over the past two months. We’re excited to share some highlights with you here.
Our next Innovation-Led Challenge is underway in Te Tai Tokerau, and we're partnering with some community superstars to tackle complex issues at the intersection of mental health and disability. We've been blown away by the amazing people who have applied to help us navigate this journey alongside whānau, community leaders, and innovators as Project Manager. Watch this space for exciting announcements in the coming weeks!
A big mihi to Foundation North, who is providing much needed backbone funding for the the Te Tai Tokerau Innovation Challenge. The change we are working to create with tāngata whaiora, tāngata whaikaha, and their whānau impacted by FASD and SEP in Te Tai Tokerau wouldn’t be possible to achieve without our partners.
To join us in this endeavour that needs as much support as possible, please get in touch with Tatiana Strudwick, Investment & Partnership Manager at tatiana@emberinnovations.nz
As we move into our next chapter, we farewell two extraordinary board members – Jamie Newth and Tuihana Ohia. Jamie’s strategic clarity and entrepreneurial vision have shaped our growth since day one. Tuihana’s depth of mātauranga and advocacy for kaupapa Māori innovation have left an indelible mark, not to mention her unstoppable fit checks. Ka nui te mihi ki a kōrua – thank you both for your wisdom and care.
We’re proud to welcome three incredible new board members. Together our new directors are bringing fresh energy and vital insights to our board.
In May we were delighted to support Tina Jones of Youth in Transition and Rob Mokaraka of Shotbro to bring together an inspiring and powerful collective of people working to support the wellbeing of rangatahi in their communities across North Auckland.
The Suicide Alliance hui provided a space to connect, learn and explore how the group might work together to reduce youth suicide through community-led solutions, particularly in the current funding climate where many organisations doing vital work are struggling to survive. We were (almost) overwhelmed by the level of interest, which left the beautiful Barn at Duke House bursting at the seams. It's clear that there is a huge amount of enthusiasm to take this forward and we're excited to see what comes next and lend our support.
In early June, Innovation Lead, Emily Preston, travelled over to Gold Coast for the 2025 International Mental Health Conference (IMHC). Having served on the organising committee alongside former Director of Ember Innovations (and current Mental Health Commissioner of South Australia), Taimi Allen, Emily had the privilege of chairing sessions on Revolutionising Mental Health: Innovation, Challenges and Global Perspectives, and Co-Designing Digital Support Tools. This inspiring event brought together leaders and changemakers from around the world to advance mental health awareness and innovative solutions, including amazing researchers and changemakers from Aotearoa speaking on Pacific Mental Health and sharing Stories of Homelessness While Young.
We were thrilled to sponsor Start Up Weekend Tāmaki Makaurau and to have our entire Ember Innovations team on-site to cheer on the incredible participants. It was fantastic to see so much creativity and energy in action, with our Innovation Lead, Emily Preston, also lending her expertise as a coach, alongside Board Member and startup legend Dan Khan. Congratulations to the amazing Pauli Sosa and Colart Miles for organising and mentor wrangling, and to all the teams for their hard work and bold ideas—we’re excited to see how your ideas develop and your entrepreneurial journey progresses from here.
Heading to Involve in Ōtautahi this August? So are we! Ember Innovations will be hosting an Open Space experience designed to surface bold ideas, connect unlikely allies, and grow momentum for community-led innovation. Whether you're a rangatahi leader, policy disruptor, or frontline advocate – we want you in the room. More to come…