Whānau engagement as best practice: how Ember Korowai Takitini is embedding change through relationships, leadership and data

Whānau Engagement at Ember Korowai Takitini improved from 9.2% to 13.9% an almost five per cent increase in 12 months*.

This success reflects a deliberate organisation-wide shift in how engagement with whānau is understood and practiced across Ember services. Backed by leadership, practical systems and a shared belief that better outcomes for tāngata whai ora happen when whānau are meaningfully included, the work is now embedded across the organisation. 

Over the past two years, Ember’s Whānau Advisor, Joy Maconaghie, has led a practical, relationship-based approach to change. Rather than relying on large-scale programmes, the focus has been on building sustainable practices that teams could genuinely integrate into everyday work. 

“We wanted whānau engagement to become part of how we naturally work, not something separate,” says Joy. “That meant helping kaimahi understand why it matters, see the impact for themselves, and feel supported to do it well.”

The shift has been driven through small but intentional changes. Kaimahi began asking better questions during intake, introducing whānau earlier in a person’s care journey, and bringing whānau conversations into supervision and team discussions. Ember also introduced annual team whānau service planning and added whānau engagement to staff competencies, reinforcing that this is expected practice across the organisation.

A key part of the work has been Ember’s Whānau Champion initiative. Each team identified a champion to help keep the kaupapa visible and to build shared whānau engagement ownership across services. Monthly hui created space to share ideas, learn from each other and maintain momentum – a great example of benchmarking in action. 

Leadership support has also been critical. Ember’s senior leaders actively championed the work through operational meetings, active participation in the National NGO Benchmarking Group and ongoing advocacy for whānau engagement as core practice. 

“When senior leaders genuinely support this work, it filters through managers, champions and kaimahi. It becomes part of the culture rather than relying on one person to carry it.” 

Data has also played an important role in supporting the shift. The KPI Programmes whānau engagement indicator is reviewed regularly to compare progress against other NGOs and Ember uses organisational whānau contact data to identify trends and encourage reflective conversations with teams. Rather than being used for performance management, the data supports learning, insight and continuous improvement. 

For teams across Ember services, the positive whānau engagement results have provided visible evidence that small consistent, practical changes can lead to meaningful culture change over time. 

An example of this work is the emergency department whānau support booklet, developed collaboratively to provide clear and accessible information for people supporting someone through ED. The resource has since been adapted across multiple regions, demonstrating how measuring something like whānau engagement can contribute to wider mental helath and addiction system improvement . 

For Joy, relationships remain at the heart of the work. 

“Showing up consistently, building trust and staying connected with teams is what makes honest conversations and improvement possible.” 

Ember’s journey demonstrates that embedding whānau engagement does not require major restructuring or complex programmes. With dedicated capability, leadership support, practical systems and strong relationships, meaningful culture change can become part of everyday practice over time. 

If you and your organisation would like to know more about joining the National NGO Benchmarking Group, and how to access Whānau Engagement Indicator dashboards to support reflection, learning and quality improvement within your services email the KPI Programme team at info@mhakpi.health.nz  

*from quarter two 2023/24 to quarter two 2024/25