Bailiff

Ministry of Justice - New Zealand; Dunedin; On-site; NZD 67,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

4.4 weeks holiday

Flexible hours

Online learning portal

Inclusive networks

Job summary

The Ministry of Justice – New Zealand is seeking a Bailiff in Dunedin. This field-based role involves collecting fines and civil debt, serving documents, and enforcing warrants across a national network.

The job combines autonomous road duties with collaboration with police and local authorities to secure compliant outcomes. Applicants should hold a Class-1 licence and demonstrate resilience, negotiation skills, and strong communication.

Qualifications

• No prior security or debt-collection experience required; diverse backgrounds welcome.
• Seek people with sound judgement, resilience and clear communication.
• Able to work autonomously and as part of a national team.
• Committed to achieving appropriate outcomes and professional standards.

Responsibilities

• Collect money by enforcing fines, reparation and civil debt and serve court documents.
• Occasionally evict occupants or seize assets as permitted by warrants.
• Travel to various sites, often alone, visiting homes or workplaces.
• Coordinate with police and local authorities and other stakeholders to achieve outcomes.

Skills

Class-1 licence

Judgement under pressure

Independent worker

National teamwork

Outcome focused

Effective communication

Negotiation skills

Resilience

Job description

Bailiff – Dunedin - Permanent, full-time

Te Haeata/The Opportunity

A fantastic opportunity to represent the Ministry of Justice as part of our Collections team.

Collections is part of the Ministry of Justice's National Service Delivery Group and is responsible for the Ministry's debt portfolio. Our collections operation is the enforcement arm of the District Court, working within our collection's strategy of “Better Debt Resolution”.

The Bailiff function is a national operation with a team of 40 Bailiffs, who work from multiple sites across the country. A Bailiff's primary purpose is to collect money by enforcing outstanding fines, reparation, and civil debt, as well as serving court documents.

This is a role like no other in New Zealand, with no two days being the same. On any given day on the road, you might need to evict someone from a property; obtain full payment of fines, reparation, or a civil debt; seize somebody's assets; or serve a document.

In executing a warrant, a Bailiff may need to attach a wheel clamp or seize a vehicle to recover the outstanding fines or debt. A good level of physical fitness is therefore required.

This is a role in which you will face many challenges. The majority of the time you'll be working by yourself, out on the road visiting people at their homes and places of work or working in conjunction with our stakeholder partners such as police and local authorities. Some people may not be cooperative or pleased to see you and your ability to stand firm and achieve the right outcome will be key to your success.

Ō Pūkenga/Skills And Experience

You don't have to have experience in a security or debt collection roles. Our successful Bailiffs have a wide range of previous experience. We want the right people with the right characteristics:

• full Class-1 drivers licence
• ability to apply good judgement and decision making under pressure
• able to work independently
• happy to be part of a national team
• outcome focussed
• effective communicator
• excellent negotiation skills
• resilience

Mō Mātou/About Us

At Te Tāhū o te Ture - the Ministry of Justice, we're committed to strengthening people's trust in the law of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Joining Te Tāhū o te Ture means you will become part of an organisation that welcomes and supports people of all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, disabilities and religions.

Ngā painga o tēnei wāhi mahi/What's great about working here

We offer you a range of benefits to support your wellbeing and help make the Ministry a great place to be. These include:

• 4.4 weeks holiday leave
• flexible work hours where possible
• an online professional development portal
• access to a variety of inclusive and proactive networks

See our full range of benefits here.

With a wide range of jobs, you also get the chance to gain a variety of skills and experience while developing your career.

Utu ā-tau/Salary

The appointing salary for this role will be between $67,066 and $90,008 based on skills and experience.

Note that successful candidates may be required to attend training in Wellington, Auckland or Christchurch for 2 weeks.