Kaiwhakahaere - Military Style Academy

Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children; Palmerston North; On-site; NZD 147,000 - 163,000; Full time

Job summary

Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children in Palmerston North seeks a Kaiwhakahaere to lead the Military Style Academy (MSA) Programme, a high-profile intervention for serious youth offenders, delivering education, therapy, and structured activities to support rehabilitation and reintegration.

You will lead 30+ kaimahi, ensure high-quality delivery, and maintain relationships with rangatahi, whānau, mana whenua, and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience within Youth Justice or related sector
• Experience leading large multidisciplinary teams in complex operational environments
• Strong understanding of NZ Youth Justice system and rehabilitation approaches for rangatahi
• Experience in operational, financial, and people leadership including workforce planning
• Ability to build partnerships with iwi, mana whenua, government agencies, and community organisations
• Experience working in secure residential environments or similar 24/7 settings
• Strong risk management, critical thinking, and decision-making capabilities
• Commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and culturally responsive leadership
• A relevant tertiary or Social Worker qualification and a current full NZ Driver Licence

Responsibilities

• Leading and developing a multidisciplinary workforce delivering all components of the MSA Programme.
• Providing strategic leadership and operational oversight to ensure high-quality programme delivery.
• Driving performance, continuous improvement, and excellence in practice.
• Ensuring compliance with legislative, regulatory, and organisational requirements.
• Building and maintaining strong partnerships with mana whenua, government agencies, community organisations, and service providers.
• Maintaining oversight of risk management, health and safety, security, and incident response.
• Overseeing programme resources, budgets, reporting, and governance requirements.
• Working closely with residential leadership to ensure a coordinated and effective approach to supporting rangatahi.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Risk management

People management

Cultural capability

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Education

Tertiary qualification or Social Worker qualification

NZ Driver Licence

Job description

Lead a nationally significant programme. Inspire change. Create better futures for rangatahi.

Oranga Tamariki is seeking an exceptional leader to become the Kaiwhakahaere of the Military Style Academy (MSA) Programme, a unique and intensive therapeutic intervention designed to support serious and persistent youth offenders to achieve sustainable behavioural change and positive long-term outcomes.

Based at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice Residence in Palmerston North, this is a high-profile leadership role responsible for the overall delivery, performance, and integrity of the MSA Programme. Leading a multidisciplinary team of more than 30 kaimahi, you will play a pivotal role in shaping a programme that helps rangatahi build resilience, accountability, confidence, and pathways to a better future.

The MSA Programme combines educational, vocational, cultural, therapeutic, and physical activities within a structured environment that supports personal growth, rehabilitation, and successful reintegration. Through a strengths-based and mana-enhancing approach, the programme seeks to address the underlying drivers of offending behaviour while strengthening connections to whānau and community.

Mō te tūnga | About the role

As Kaiwhakahaere, you will provide visible, values-led leadership across all aspects of programme delivery. You will lead from the front, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement while maintaining strong relationships with kaimahi, rangatahi, whānau, mana whenua, and key stakeholders.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and developing a multidisciplinary workforce delivering all components of the MSA Programme.
• Providing strategic leadership and operational oversight to ensure high-quality programme delivery.
• Driving performance, continuous improvement, and excellence in practice.
• Ensuring compliance with legislative, regulatory, and organisational requirements.
• Building and maintaining strong partnerships with mana whenua, government agencies, community organisations, and service providers.
• Maintaining oversight of risk management, health and safety, security, and incident response.
• Overseeing programme resources, budgets, reporting, and governance requirements.
• Working closely with residential leadership to ensure a coordinated and effective approach to supporting rangatahi.

The role participates in an on-call roster every second week and weekend and includes occasional travel to Wellington.

We're looking for an experienced, authentic, and highly capable leader who is passionate about achieving positive outcomes for rangatahi.

You will bring:

• Significant leadership experience within Youth Justice or a related sector working with high-risk and vulnerable young people.
• Experience leading large multidisciplinary teams within complex operational environments.
• Strong understanding of the New Zealand Youth Justice system and rehabilitation approaches for rangatahi.
• Proven experience in operational, financial, and people leadership, including workforce planning and performance management.
• Demonstrated ability to build effective partnerships with iwi, mana whenua, government agencies, and community organisations.
• Experience working within secure residential environments or similarly complex 24/7 settings.
• Strong risk management, critical thinking, and decision-making capability.
• A commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and culturally responsive leadership.
• A relevant tertiary or Social Worker qualification and a current full New Zealand Driver Licence.

Why join the MSA Programme?

This is more than a leadership role.

It's an opportunity to influence the lives of rangatahi, strengthen outcomes for whānau and communities, and lead a programme that sits at the forefront of youth justice rehabilitation in Aotearoa.

You'll join a passionate team committed to:

• Supporting lasting behavioural change.
• Creating safe, structured, and therapeutic environments.
• Embedding culturally responsive and mana-enhancing practice.
• Building strong partnerships with whānau, iwi, and communities.
• Delivering meaningful outcomes for some of New Zealand's most vulnerable young people.

Oranga Tamariki works to ensure all tamariki and rangatahi are in loving whānau and communities where they can be safe, strong, connected, and flourish. We are committed to improving outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi, particularly Māori, through evidence-informed and culturally responsive practice.

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

Remuneration for this position starts between $147,010 - $162,887 depending on experience.

Applications close at midnight on the 21st of October 2026.