Casual Kitchen Assistant - Te Kuiti

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora; Waikato; On-site; NZD 30,000 - 39,000; Part time

Job summary

Te Whatu Ora Waikato is seeking a casual chef/kitchen assistant to prepare and serve meals for clients and Meals on Wheels. You will work shifts from early morning to evening, with weekend and public holiday duties possible.

The ideal candidate has a passion for food, solid food safety knowledge, and the ability to lead assistants when needed. This role requires teamwork, reliability, and clear English communication, with residency in NZ.

Qualifications

• Have a real interest in food and a proven ability in its preparation.
• Have a good understanding of food safety principles and demonstrates this in their work
• Have high standards for both themselves and the food they are preparing
• Be able to provide direction to their assistants fairly and consistently
• Be a team player with a positive attitude
• Have excellent communication skills, both spoken and written English; possess an exceptional work ethic and enjoy what they do; work well under pressure and within timeframes
• Extremely reliable and with a great attendance record
• Applicants must have NZ residency

Responsibilities

• Prepare and serve meals daily for clients and Meals on Wheels.
• Follow menu plans, portion controls and food safety practices.
• Work in a fast-paced kitchen and meet timeframes.
• Assist team and communicate effectively with colleagues.

Skills

Food preparation

Food safety principles

Teamwork

Communication skills

Reliability

Tools

Excel

Outlook

Job description

• Casual

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders.

About the Role

Are you an enthusiastic and experienced chef/cook/ kitchen assistant, looking for a challenge? Our friendly team prepares and serves meals each day for our clients as well as providing meals for Meals on Wheels customers.

We offer great conditions. Hours of work are shifts between 6.30am & 8.00pm, weekend duties and working on public holidays may be required.

The ideal applicant would:

• Have a real interest in food and a proven ability in its preparation.
• Have a good understanding of food safety principles and demonstrates this in their work
• Have high standards for both themselves and the food they are preparing
• Be able to provide direction to their assistants fairly and consistently
• Be a team player with a positive attitude
• Have excellent communication skills, both spoken and written English possess an exceptional work ethic and enjoy what they do Work well under pressure and within timeframes
• Extremely reliable and with a great attendance record
• Applicants must have NZ residency

The salary for this position will be based on experience and in line with the Etū agreement.

Nutrition & Food Services provides high quality, safe, and efficient food services that support the nutritional wellbeing of our patients and community

Te Kuiti Hospital provides essential 24/7 emergency services and supports high‑acuity patients through air and road ambulance retrievals to Waikato Hospital for complex care. The hospital also offers a range of specialty outpatient clinics with senior visiting doctors, as well as general laboratory and radiology diagnostics. With a growing number of nurse‑led services.

Te Kuiti is a rural service town in the Waikato region, situated at the junction of State Highways 3 and 30 in the King Country and only 20 minutes away from the Waitomo Caves.

Lots of natural spots close by including the Mangokewa Scenic Reserve and the Tatsuno Japanese Gardens. The Great New Zealand Muster & Shearing Championships are held annually which feature sheep races, street stalls Maori cultural performances and shearing contests.

The ideal candidate will

• Have the ability to work well in a fast‑paced environment, juggle various tasks and still have a welcoming smile
• Have excellent attention to detail along with dietary/allergen experience
• A strong background within the food sector
• A relentless positive attitude every shift, the ability to see what needs to be done and the willingness to jump in and get it done.
• Must be computer literate, able to use excel, outlook and other software relevant to the positon

Te Whatu Ora Waikato is a market leader for food service provision in NZ public hospitals and operates an active continuous quality improvement programme. Nutrition and Food Services is an operation providing meals for patients, staff and visitors to the Thames Hospital campus.

Working at Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal before 11:59 pm on 18November 2026.

Job details

Job Reference:

Job Reference: TEK00127

Location:

North Island - Waikato - All values

Job type:

Job type: Casual

Expertise:

Non-clinical - Food Services - Food Services