Dental Assistant - Mid North

Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand; Whangarei; On-site; NZD 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is seeking a Dental Assistant to support the oral health team in Northland. You will assist therapists and dentists, provide chairside support, and help with administrative tasks and data recording for reporting.

The position is fixed-term for 36.25 hours weekly (0.91 FTE), Monday to Friday, with parental leave cover from Oct 2026 to Oct 2027. Training is provided, and candidates with NZDA certification or health-sector experience are welcome though not

Qualifications

• NZ driver’s licence required for the role.
• Strong organisational and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse backgrounds.
• Good keyboard and computer skills.
• NZDA Dental Assistants Certificate desirable but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Assist the oral health therapist, dentists and specialists in clinic management.
• Provide chairside assistance during dental procedures.
• Support administrative and receptionist tasks and data recording.
• Participate in oral health prevention programmes and teamwork.

Skills

Driver's Licence (NZ)

Organisational skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Keyboard and computer skills

Education

NZDA Dental Assistants Certificate

Job description

• Fixed-term, full-time position (0.91), working 36.25 hours per week Monday Friday. Parental leave cover from October 2026 to October 2027.
• Training for this role will be provided, experience in one of the most beautiful regions of New Zealand

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

As a Dental Assistant, you will assist the oral health therapist/ dental therapist, dentists, and dental specialists in the efficient and effective day to day management of the clinic and patient group.

In this role, you will be:

• Assisting with administrative and receptionist services
• Assisting with filing, record systems and the recording of data for statistical returns, manually and electronically as required
• Provide chairside assistance before, during and after dental operating procedures
• Being involved where appropriate in oral health prevention programmes
• Work as a functional member of the area and achieve Northlands objectives by effective teamwork

Our Oral Health Service is a community-based dental service for children under 18 years of age across the Mid North in the Northland Region. We provide comprehensive oral health care through School, Adolescent, Community and Hospital Dental Services.

For more information on living and working in Northland, click here

About you

As a Dental Assistant, you will need be self-motivated and can communicate effectively with people of varying cultural backgrounds in a sensitive manner.

• NZ full Drivers Licence
• Demonstrated organisational and interpersonal skills
• Ability to communicate effectively with people of varying cultural backgrounds in a sensitive manner
• Good keyboard and computer skills

Candidates that have a NZDA Dental Assistants Certificate or previous experience in administration, dental, or the health sector is desirable, however not essential to apply.

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.

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process, before the closing date of this advert.