Occupational Therapist - Community Mental Health

Taranaki District Health Board; New Plymouth; On-site; NZD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Te Whatu Ora in New Plymouth invites applications for an Occupational Therapist in the Community Mental Health Team. The role involves keyworking for a caseload and performing functional, cognitive, and sensory assessments for whai ora within the Community Mental Health Service.

Most work will occur in the hospital, with occasional community duties. Applicants should have an APC in NZ, passion for mental health, strong therapeutic skills, and excellent interpersonal abilities.

Qualifications

• Current APC in New Zealand is required.
• Experience and passion for working with whai ora experiencing significant mental health distress.
• Adept therapeutic skills across modalities.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication abilities.
• Flexibility to work autonomously and provide clinical leadership within a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Provide keyworking for a caseload of clients within Community Mental Health.
• Conduct functional, cognitive and sensory assessments.
• Assist in facilitating groups and program delivery.
• Work primarily in hospital setting with occasional community opportunities.

Skills

APC NZ

Mental health experience

Therapeutic interventions

Interpersonal skills

Autonomy in MDT

Education

Annual Practising Certificate (APC) NZ

Job description

Occupational Therapist - Community Mental Health

• Occupational Therapist, Community Mental Health Team
• Taranaki Base Hospital
• Fixed Term Fulltime (80 hours per fortnight) - 11 January 2027 to 7 January 2028

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 an Occupational Therapist, you will play a vital role within the Community Mental Health Team. Occupational Therapists in the service provide keyworking for a caseload of clients, as well as conduct functional, cognitive and sensory assessments for whai ora across the Community Mental Health Service. There is also the opportunity to help facilitate groups.

About the Team/Service/ Location

Our team is composed of Psychologists, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Support Workers, Nurses, and Psychiatrists. Most of the work will occur in the hospital setting with the occasional opportunity for community work.

We can offer you a welcoming and supportive environment with a team that is committed to ensuring you are successful in your role. We will also provide a comprehensive orientation process when you start so that you become familiar not only with our service but also the wider mental health sector in Taranaki.

About you

Successful candidates will have:

• A current Annual Practicing Certificate (APC) in New Zealand
• Experience in, and passion for, working with whai ora experiencing significant mental health distress
• Adept therapeutic skills and knowledgeable in a variety of therapeutic modalities.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication & relationship building skills
• Flexibility to work autonomously as well as part of a multi-disciplinary teamand provide clinical leadership and supervision within the team.
• Understanding and application of the principles of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with a culturally safe and appropriate approach to practice
• Display enthusiasm to embrace new ideas and innovative thinking towards service delivery.

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 by 22 November 2026.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Tayler Everett - Clinical Team Lead, North Community Mental Health at [e-mail]

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

Job details

Job Reference:

Job Reference: TAR07084

Location:

North Island - Taranaki - New Plymouth

Job type:

Job type: Contract/Temp Full time

Expertise:

Clinical - Mental Health - Occupational Therapist