Nurse Educator - Mental Health & Addictions

Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand; Hastings; On-site; NZD 85,000 - 115,000; Part time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora in Hastings is seeking a Nurse Educator to advance Mental Health and Addictions services. In this part-time role (0.7 FTE), you will shape education programmes, develop staff capability, and support evidence-based practice across inpatient and community settings.

Working with clinical leaders, you will mentor nurses and support staff, lead orientation and professional development pathways, and evaluate programmes to improve patient outcomes.

Qualifications

• Current Nursing Council of NZ registration with APC.
• Eligible for or holding postgraduate qualifications in mental health or education.
• Experience designing and delivering clinical education for nursing staff.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, delivery, and evaluation of education programmes for Mental Health and Addiction Services.
• Provide guidance and coaching to clinicians to build capability and confidence.
• Develop orientation and professional development pathways and contribute to workforce development initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching/mentoring

Educational programme development

Education

Nursing registration with the Nursing Council of NZ

Annual Practising Certificate

Postgraduate qualifications in mental health or education

Job description

Nurse Educator - Mental Health & Addictions

• Permanent, Part Time, 57 hours per fortnight (0.7 FTE)
• This is an excellent opportunity to shape the future mental health workforce by supporting clinicians to grow their skills, strengthen best practice, and improve outcomes for the people and communities they serve.

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 Nurse Educator - Mental Health and Addictions, you will play a pivotal role in developing the capability, confidence, and clinical expertise of nursing and support staff across Mental Health and Addiction Services, with a particular focus on the mental health inpatient unit.

Working closely with clinical leaders and frontline teams, you will lead the planning, delivery, and evaluation of education programmes that support evidence based practice, professional growth, and high quality care. You will provide expert guidance, coaching, and support to staff managing acute mental health presentations while contributing to workforce development initiatives, orientation programmes, and professional development pathways. This is a rewarding opportunity to combine your clinical expertise, leadership skills, and passion for education to make a lasting impact on both staff development and patient outcomes.

About the Team/Service/ Location

The Professional Development Unit brings together education and workforce development expertise into one integrated team that supports learning, capability building, and professional growth across Health New Zealand. Nurse Educators work in partnership with clinical services while remaining connected through a centralised education team model.

Based in Hastings, this role works closely with Mental Health and Addiction Services, supporting staff to deliver safe, responsive, and evidence based care while fostering a culture of learning, innovation, and continuous improvement.

About you

As an experienced Registered Nurse with a passion for education and workforce development, you will bring:

• Current registration with the Nursing Council of New Zealand and a current Annual Practising Certificate.
• At least five years of relevant clinical experience, ideally within mental health and addiction services.
• Postgraduate qualifications, or equivalent experience, with a commitment to ongoing professional development.
• Experience coaching, mentoring, or educating clinicians to build capability and confidence.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and relationship building skills, with the ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams.

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.