“Since becoming a mum, I’m even more passionate about creating equitable health outcomes for our rangatahi. My children are Māori and Samoan and I know their experience of the world will be very different from their palagi friends,” she says. 

‍

Annabel moved to Taupo five years ago where she took up the role of Chief Executive at Anamata, a Charitable Trust designed to be a one stop youth health shop. The team of youth workers, nurses, doctors, addiction specialists and mental health professionals offer school based health services to rangatahi and their whānau. 

Always on the lookout for innovation and new practices, in 2018 Annabel had the idea for an online youth health assessment tool. 

“The paper-based format we were using was incredibly time consuming and it delayed our ability to respond quickly to young people. I knew there was a better way and thanks to Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation’s Change Accelerator Program we were able to create a prototype and then develop the app,” she explains. 

The youth health assessment app, digitalises data to provide better health care for young people and improve advocacy and policy change at schools. 

Annabel says the data provides a level of credibility and accountability that didn’t exist before. She is grateful to Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation for valuing innovation and supporting her vision. 

“The support of Te Rourou has has helped me appreciate just how innovative and amazing that work is,” she says. Annabel is now focused on taking the app to scale to connect with other youth health organisations in Aotearoa.