Peer Support Worker

Wise Group; Wellington; On-site; NZD 21,000 - 28,000; Part time

Job summary

Ka Puta Ka Ora Emerge Aotearoa, a national provider of mental health, addiction and wellbeing services, is seeking a crisis respite support worker.

Based at Key We Way, Paraparaumu Beach, this permanent part-time role (16 hours per week) supports tangata whaiora in recovery using lived experience, working with clinical teams in a peer-led, compassionate environment.

Qualifications

• Level 4+ qualification in Mental Health and Addiction or working towards one.
• Experience with drug and alcohol addiction or mental health distress.
• First Aid certification including CPR.
• Commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
• Full New Zealand Driver's licence.
• Able to work autonomously.
• Ability to build professional relationships with tangata whaiora.
• Familiar with using databases and recording information.

Responsibilities

• Support tangata whaiora to move forward on their recovery journey and activities of daily living.
• Utilise your own lived experience to connect with and support people.
• Liaise with clinical teams and other organisations.
• General administration duties including note taking and household tasks (e.g., cooking).

Skills

Lived experience

Adaptable

Autonomous

Team player

Education

Level 4 Mental Health & Addiction

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Ka Puta Ka Ora Emerge Aotearoa is a national provider of mental health, addiction, disability, offender rehabilitation, wellbeing and housing services. We believe that everyone is capable of living full and rich lives in their communities of choice. In every aspect of our work, we are committed to helping whānau be the best they can be.

This role is a very exciting and important opportunity to support people in times of crisis through utilising your own lived experience of mental health and/or addictions. This role is based in a beautiful environment at Key We Way, which is a 4 bed Crisis Respite Service in Paraparaumu Beach on the Kapiti Coast.

You will be supporting people who have mental distress to move forward with their recovery within a supportive, compassionate, relaxed, peer led service in collaboration with their clinical teams. To do this you need to have lived experience, be adaptable, be able to work autonomously and able to perform under pressure.

This is a permanent part-time role, 16 hours per week with a week with a mix of AM, PM, with weekends and wakeover shifts.

Duties of the role include but are not limited to:

• Supporting tangata whaiora to move forward on their journey to recovery and with activities of daily living.
• Utilising your own lived experience to connect with/ support people.
• Liaising with clinical teams and other organisations.
• General administration duties including note writing and household tasks such as cooking.

Someone who would fit well within this team would be a person who is energetic, resilient, vibrant, confident and a great team player. You'll be a natural when it comes to being able to connect with tangata whaiora and support them to move forward on their journey to recovery. You will ideally have experience in working within mental health, but if you don't, we'd still consider applications from people with other support work and/ or lived experience of mental distress and/ or addiction.

What you need:

• A Level 4 (or higher) qualification in Mental Health and Addiction or be working towards one.
• Bring your own knowledge and experience of drug and alcohol addiction or mental health distress, tell us about your journey in your cover letter.
• Must hold and maintain First Aid certification including CPR (or be willing and able to complete this).
• Commitment to upholding Te Tiriti o Waitanga and working as tangata tiriti.
• A full New Zealand Drivers licence.
• Will be confident working autonomously.
• Have the ability to easily build professional relationships with our tangata whaiora.
• Be familiar with using databases and recording information.

You will want to work here because we are committed to diversity and inclusion. So, you don't have to worry about putting on a fake work persona. Come as you are, and just be YOU! We are a supportive team that enjoys celebrating successes, however little or large they may be.