Kia ora Principals, Sports Directors and School Leaders,

We hope this email finds you well.

As participation in school sport continues to grow, so too does the responsibility to ensure student wellbeing and safety, particularly when it comes to head injuries and concussion.

For the upcoming 2026 winter and summer sports seasons, a limited number of schools are being invited to participate in a trial of NōKen, a concussion support system designed to help schools recognise head injuries early, connect students with healthcare, and guide them safely back to learning and sport.

Before expanding the programme more widely, we are speaking with a small number of schools whose leadership places a strong emphasis on student wellbeing and safety in sport.

Your school has been identified as one that may be interested in exploring how a structured concussion support system could strengthen the way students are supported after head injuries.

We would welcome the opportunity to show you how NōKen works in practice.

Why This Matters

Sport is only one part of a student’s life — but a concussion can affect every part of it.

I think we can all agree that when it comes to concussion and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), there is an opportunity for us as a collective community to do more for our young people.

Schools are first and foremost places of learning, and while sport plays an important role in student development, injuries sustained during sport — particularly concussion — can have consequences that extend well beyond the playing field.

A concussion can affect a student’s ability to:

• Concentrate in the classroom
• Process information and learn effectively
• Regulate emotions and behaviour
• Participate fully in daily school life

Research shows that when concussion is not properly recognised and supported, students may experience:

• Declining academic performance
• Changes in mood and behaviour
• Strained relationships with peers and family
• Increased risk of anxiety or depression

These impacts are concerning not only for schools, but also for parents and caregivers.

Concussion management is therefore not simply a sports issue — it is a student wellbeing and learning issue.

What is NōKen?

NōKen is a concussion support system designed to connect the environments where young athletes live, learn and play.

It links the sideline, healthcare providers, schools, families and community sporting organisations into a coordinated pathway of care when a head injury occurs.

Students often participate across multiple sporting environments including:

• School sport
• Club sport
• Representative sport

When a head injury occurs in one environment, the others are often unaware of it.

NōKen helps solve this by creating a connected ecosystem of care around the student.

Building an Auckland Concussion Support Ecosystem

Auckland students frequently move between different sporting environments within the same week.

These can include:

• School sport
• Club competitions
• Representative or development programmes

Because these environments operate independently, information about head injuries is often not shared between them.

The NōKen trial aims to help address this by building a connected concussion support ecosystem across Auckland.

Community organisations such as Counties Manukau Rugby League are already involved in the trial, helping ensure students who participate in both school and community sport can be supported across those environments.

By involving schools, clubs and healthcare providers, the goal is to create a more coordinated approach to concussion recognition and recovery for Auckland students.

The Meaning Behind NōKen

The name NōKen draws inspiration from Japanese language and philosophy.

Nō (脳) — Brain

Ken (見) — To see or recognise what cannot easily be seen

Together, NōKen represents the idea of:

“Seeing what cannot easily be seen in the brain.”

Concussion is often described as an invisible injury. A student may appear fine externally while their brain is still recovering.

NōKen helps ensure the right people are informed and involved when a head injury occurs.

The NōKen Concussion Pathway

When a head knock occurs during training or competition, NōKen supports the student through a structured recovery pathway.

Sideline Assessment

A trained assessor completes a guided sideline check to identify potential concussion symptoms and ensure the student is safely removed from play.

Prompt Healthcare Access

Students can be directed to appropriate healthcare providers including GP and urgent care services without unnecessary delays.

NōKen helps facilitate timely access to care so students are not left waiting several days for an appointment, allowing assessment and medical guidance to occur sooner when it matters most.

Communication and Coordination

Communication can be shared between the school, club, family and healthcare providers, ensuring everyone supporting the student understands the recovery process.

Recovery Monitoring

Students receive regular check-ins during their recovery period, helping ensure symptoms are monitored and progress is supported.

Pre-Scheduled Medical Follow-Up

A Day 22 medical follow-up appointment can be scheduled to ensure the student is medically reviewed before returning to full activity.

Concussion recovery should not rely on chance or memory — it should follow a clear, supported pathway.

Community-Driven Sideline Assessment

A key feature of NōKen is the community-driven sideline assessment model.

Schools are encouraged to have as many people as possible complete the NōKen Sideline Assessor accreditation, including:

• Coaches
• Team managers
• Teachers
• Parents and caregivers
• Senior students aged 16 and over

The accreditation is completed online and takes approximately 30 minutes.

By encouraging wider participation, schools can:

• Extend education and awareness around concussion within their community
• Ensure more trained eyes are present when students are playing sport
• Strengthen the ability to recognise potential head injuries early

Concussion recognition should not rely on one person on the sideline — it should be a shared responsibility across the community supporting our young athletes.

Benefits for Schools

Schools participating in the NōKen trial receive access to:

• Guided sideline concussion assessment tools
• NōKen Sideline Assessor training
• A system to record incidents and monitor recovery
• Support for Return to Learn, Return to Self and Return to Play decisions
• Improved communication between schools, clubs, families and healthcare providers
• Participation in a connected concussion support ecosystem

Most importantly:

No student gets lost through concussion.

Cost of Participation

For the 2026 trial, the cost is approximately $25 per student.

This covers all sports a student represents the school in, including:

• Inter-school competitions
• Tournament play
• Representative fixtures played for the school
• All official team trainings and practices

Coverage applies across both winter and summer sports seasons, anywhere the student represents the school across Auckland.

For approximately $25 per student for this trial, schools can ensure concussion support exists for every athlete, across every sport, every training and every match.

In some cases schools may choose to pass this cost on to families, allowing parents to support a system designed to protect the wellbeing of their children while participating in sport.

Data Protection, Consent and Data Sovereignty

NōKen has been designed with student privacy, consent and responsible data management as core principles.

Participation requires parent or guardian consent, ensuring families understand how the system supports concussion recognition and recovery.

Key principles include:

• Secure handling of student health information
• Access limited to authorised individuals involved in care
• Parent or guardian consent for participation
• Data used solely to support concussion care and recovery

The system aligns with New Zealand privacy expectations and principles of data sovereignty, ensuring information is handled responsibly and transparently.

See How NōKen Works

Nōken

Author: Noken Health

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcEJKSMfKts

Book a Demonstration

Schools interested in seeing how NōKen works are invited to book a short demonstration session.

Due to the nature of the 2026 trial, places are limited and we are currently speaking with a small number of schools before expanding the programme more widely.

To arrange a demonstration simply email 

info@nokenhealth.com 

“We would like to book a NōKen demo.”

Article added: Monday 16 March 2026