WHAT IS IGNITE AOTEAROA AND WHAT DOES IT DO?
Ignite Aotearoa provides a wide range of community-based mental health, addiction, disability support and social housing services nationwide. Ignite Aotearoa is a new social enterprise focussed on strengthening the wellbeing of Aotearoa by broadening access to online support and coaching. It is backed by Emerge Aotearoa, one of New Zealand's largest providers of social services.
Ignite has developed a multi-part solution to address some of the systemic issues facing mental health in New Zealand. There are two key streams to the approach - one is supporting people, and the other is transforming the system.
IGNITE’S BUSINESS MODEL
Firstly they are working to increase the availability, flexibility and visibility of support pathways. They have developed a digital wellbeing platform that provides clinically curated resources, a personalised wellbeing plan and enables access to book virtual support and coaching. The support provided is broad and includes peer support, clinical support as well as finance and career coaching.
IGNITE’S IMPACT
As a result of increasing the accessibility of support and offering choice and flexibility about when and how people can access it, people are more likely to engage with it and seek it earlier. This will lead to better outcomes for individuals and communities. Ignite are also undertaking research and developing insight papers on the effectiveness of new models and advocate for evidence-based best practice to be used. Over time, this will lead to improved understanding and delivery of effective support.
EVIDENCE OF IMPACT
Our nation's ability to effectively support New Zealanders mental health is a well recognised challenge. The number of suicides in New Zealand has reached its highest-ever level, with 685 people dying in the year to June 30. It's estimated that in 2014 the economic cost of serious mental illness alone was $12 billion, or 5% of GDP. Mental health is a clear priority for the current government, who identified it as a key part of the first Wellbeing Budget and then increased funding by $6 million dollars in September 2019. He Ara Oranga, the report of the Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction clearly identified that New Zealand has reached a critical point and that we need innovative solutions to meet the scale and complexity of the need.