Kāpiti Youth Support takes out service innovation award for practice-led youth wellbeing platform, levo.
Digital infrastructure developed here in Kāpiti won the award for ‘Innovation in Service Delivery’ at the New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards – He Tohu Mauri Ora over the weekend.
levo was developed by Kāpiti Youth Support (KYS) —, which provides free health, mental health, and social support to rangatahi aged 10–24. The KYS team attended the awards in Auckland on Saturday night and returned home with national recognition for a platform designed and built from the ground up within our district.
“We’re so proud — this win belongs to our whole team and our wider community,” says Raechel Osborne, CEO of KYS and Founder of levo. “levo was created here in Kāpiti by people who know our young people, our services, and our challenges. That it’s now being recognised nationally is incredibly special.”
levo was developed inside KYS’s integrated youth health service, in response to the very real need for better tools to identify risk, track wellbeing, and evidence impact over time. It draws on multiple frameworks — including Te Whare Tapa Whā, the biopsychosocial model, and other national youth wellbeing best practices — to ensure care is holistic, culturally grounded, and practitioner-led.
While designed for rangatahi, levo’s adaptability makes it relevant across other age groups and system settings. Its ability to measure real change over time is also attracting attention from agencies seeking more integrated, outcomes-based reporting.
“levo exists because of our incredible kaimahi and support team,” says Ms Osborne. “Their insight and commitment are embedded in every part of the platform.”
KYS is now preparing for a national launch—and regional rollout—with the intention of supporting agencies, service providers, and funders right across the country.
More about levo here: kys.org.nz/why-we-do-it/levo/