Knowledge Hub
Research
Research is a vital part of Ember Innovations’ mahi.
It helps us:
Explore new ideas
Test bold approaches
Deepen understanding of mental health and wellbeing.
By supporting projects grounded in lived experience, mātauranga Māori, and emerging technologies, we ensure innovation is shaped by those most affected and informed by diverse perspectives.
Projects & partnerships
Explore the projects we’ve supported so far.
‘BRO (Bro Reach Out)’ chatbot-based app
Research innovators: Annabelle Prescott, Bonnie Scarth (pictured) and Suzi Wereta
‘BRO’ is a chatbot-based safety planning app designed to support young people in Aotearoa New Zealand when they’re feeling overwhelmed, distressed, or struggling.
The app helps you build a personalised safety plan that you can return to when things feel tough. Through guided chat, BRO supports you to recognise your warning signs, identify coping strategies, and connect with trusted people and crisis contacts when needed.
‘Gaming Habit Hacker’ online intervention
Research innovator: Dr Jennifer Jiyun Park
“Gaming Habit Hacker” set out to address an urgent question: how can we make treatment for gaming disorder both effective and accessible? Researchers conducted the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate a brief web-based intervention, designed for youth and adults with varying levels of problematic gaming severity who were motivated to cut down on gaming.
'The Gift Box’ Implementation Project
Research innovator: Dr Patte Randal LRCP MRCS DPhil
For 25 years researcher and mental health innovator Dr Patte Randal has been at the helm of developing 'The Gift Box’ – a unique innovative recovery-focused tool, designed in accordance with evidence-based practice and informed by the wisdom of lived-experience of recovery, including the researcher’s own. Aspects of the resources in 'The Gift Box’ were co-designed by Maori service-users.