Programme Facilitator

Positive Pathways; Hawke's Bay; On-site; NZD 28,000 - 34,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Morning/Afternoon shifts

Casual/temporary role

Job summary

Positive Pathways is seeking enthusiastic, reliable people to join our team as Casual Holiday Programme Facilitators in Christchurch. You will help autistic and neurodivergent children enjoy safe, engaging school holidays, while promoting confidence and life skills.

Roles offer morning and/or afternoon shifts with varied hours, depending on programme needs and your availability. We value calm, patient, and adaptable team players who communicate well with children, parents, and staff.

Qualifications

• Neurodiversity-affirming and accepting of different ways of communicating, thinking and being.
• Calm, patient and able to support children through moments of dysregulation.
• Playful, creative and able to join in with children’s interests.
• Confident building trusting relationships with children and young people.
• Flexible and able to adapt when plans change.
• Comfortable supporting children with different sensory, communication and regulation needs.
• Good at noticing what a child might be communicating through their behaviour.
• Able to encourage independence without taking over.
• Reliable, responsible and able to work as part of a team.
• Confident communicating with parents, caregivers and other staff.

Responsibilities

• Support autistic and neurodivergent children during school holidays.
• Provide a fun, safe and positive experience for children and young people.
• Engage in activities that build confidence, connection, independence and life skills.

Skills

Neurodiversity-affirming

Calm demeanor

Patience

Playful and creative

Relationship building

Team collaboration

Communication with parents

Education

First aid training

Tools

First aid training

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.

Positive Pathways – Middleton, South Island

• Morning and/or Afternoon Shifts Available

Positive Pathways is looking for enthusiastic, reliable and neuro-affirming people to join our team as Casual Holiday Programme Facilitators.

Our holiday programmes support autistic and neurodivergent children and young people to have a fun, safe and positive school holiday experience — while building confidence, connection, independence and life skills.

When: School holidays
Hours: Varied hours between 8:30am–4:30pm, depending on programme needs and your availability
Location: Christchurch

We’re looking for people who are:

• Neurodiversity-affirming and genuinely accepting of different ways of communicating, thinking and being
• Calm, patient and able to support children through moments of dysregulation
• Playful, creative and able to join in with children’s interests
• Confident building trusting relationships with children and young people
• Flexible and able to adapt when plans change
• Comfortable supporting children with different sensory, communication and regulation needs
• Good at noticing what a child might be communicating through their behaviour
• Able to encourage independence without taking over
• Reliable, responsible and able to work as part of a team
• Confident communicating with parents, caregivers and other staff
• Able to maintain professional boundaries and follow safeguarding and health & safety expectations

Experience that would be valuable:

• Experience working with autistic or neurodivergent children
• Experience in disability support, youth work, education, ECE, mentoring, respite or similar
• Understanding of PDA and demand-avoidant profiles
• First aid training
• Relevant qualifications are welcomed, but the right attitude and approach are just as important as formal qualifications.

At Positive Pathways, we believe the child is not the problem to be fixed. We focus on understanding the reason behind behaviour, creating safety and connection, and helping children feel confident to participate in ways that work for them.

If you’re passionate about supporting neurodivergent children and want to be part of a supportive, values-led team, we’d love to hear from you.