Bailiff

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

Benefits offered by this job

4.4 weeks holiday leave

Flexible work hours where possible

Online professional development portal

Access to inclusive networks

Job summary

The Ministry of Justice (New Zealand) is seeking a Bailiff in New Plymouth for a permanent, full-time position. The role focuses on collecting fines, reparation and civil debt, serving court documents, and enforcing warrants across the district.

You will travel to client sites, operate independently, and work with police and local authorities to achieve outcomes. Candidates must be able to work in a dynamic field environment, maintain professionalism, and meet the physical demands of fieldwork.

Qualifications

• Full Class-1 driver’s license.
• Ability to apply good judgement and decision making under pressure.
• Ability to work independently.
• Happy to be part of a national team.
• Outcome focused.
• Effective communication.
• Excellent negotiation skills.
• Resilience.

Responsibilities

• Collect money by enforcing fines, reparation, and civil debt.
• Serve court documents and manage related processes.
• Work on the road visiting homes and workplaces to enforce warrants.
• Collaborate with police and local authorities as required.

Skills

Class-1 license

Judgement under pressure

Independent worker

Team player

Outcome focused

Effective communication

Negotiation skills

Resilience

Job description

Bailiff- New Plymouth - Permanent, full-timeTe 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.

Ōpūkenga/Skills and Experience

No candidate will meet every single desired qualification. If your experience looks a little different from what we have outlined and believe you can bring value to the role, we'd love to hear from you!

We want the right people with the right characteristics:

• full Class-1 drivers licenceability to apply good judgement and decision making under pressureable to work independentlyhappy to be part of a national teamoutcome focussedeffective communicatorexcellent negotiation skillsresilience

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

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.

Applications close on 08 November 2026; however, we will be reviewing CVs as they come in and may invite candidates to interview before the close date.

Given the nature of this role, additional vetting may be required.

If you have any questions, please [e-mail]