Location: Wellington, Anywhere in NZ

Service: Communications and Marketing

Contract: Full time, fixed term to 30 June 2023

• Be part of the national transformation in health
• Opportunity to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
• Flexible working fully supported to balance your work and lifestyle

Join our Communications and Engagement team and support the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Ko wai mātou | Our Organisation

It's not very often something happens that's big; like, really big. Big to the point that it will touch the lives of every single person in the motu. That's what we're talking about here. The provision of health services in Aotearoa, and how they are delivered, is about to change in a big way.

Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand and Te Aka Whai Ora-Māori Health Authority will together shape the delivery of health services in Aotearoa for generations to come and will form the core of a modern and integrated service looking after the needs of all our whānau. Te Whatu Ora is ‘the weaving of wellness'. Whatu is the combining together of people, resources, organisations, thoughts and actions for the betterment and wellbeing of all. Whatu is also a direct reference to the pupil of the eye, and the vision required of the new entity and system. Join us in this mahi...

Te whiwhinga mahi | The Opportunity

Join our Communications and Engagement team and support the COVID-19 pandemic response. This will be an opportunity for you to be part of the Engagement team who have built and maintained networks across government, organisations, and communities to support information flow and insight to and from communities to mitigate the risks of COVID-19.

We coordinate and convene the communications teams across COVID-19 response agencies and supports coordination and information flow at the local and regional level. This has ensured messaging can be consistent and there is clear visibility around the work agencies are doing. We do this by building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders and through them gathers insights used to inform the wider response. 

We keep the government system well informed, aligned, and ‘in touch' with community, business, iwi Māori, Pacific and stakeholder views and needs. This includes relationship management ensuring the system is well integrated, consistent with its approach and captures important insights to be shared appropriately.  We also support an equitable and accessible approach to communications including the creation and maintenance of translations (website, content, and collateral) into 27 languages and 5 alternative formats.

In this role, you will be responsible for contributing to an effective and equitable response to COVID-19 by facilitating engagement with iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori partners. You will also help to ensure the work of the COVID-19 Group responds to the needs of Māori by ensuring a Te Ao Māori lens is brought to the work of the Communications and Public Engagement team.

Some of your responsbilities will include:

• Taking a leadership role in strategic engagement with iwi and Māori by identifying and responding to emerging issues around COVID-19
• Working across the wider communications team and to bring a Te Ao Māori lens to the development and delivery of strategic communications, campaign, web and social media activity
• Facilitating the involvement of iwi and Māori partners in the development and delivery of communications and engagement approaches and outputs that meet the needs of iwi, hapū, and whānau Māori 

Additionally, you will facilitate the distribution of COVID-19 messages and communications material that responds to the needs of, and can be adapted by, iwi and Māori partners to ensure their communities are informed. This includes supporting the development and delivery of information in Te Reo Māori and accessible formats as required.

Mōu | About you

This is a very specific role to someone who has experience working with iwi, hapū, whānau, Māori organisations and Māori communities and knowledge of Te Ao Māori and a degree of fluency in te reo Māori.You will be an enthusiastic customer centric professional, an adaptable team player with a desire to help others. You will bring along your positive ‘can-do' attitude and optimistic approach to problem solving as well as your strong ability to build relationships and work collaboratively at all levels across a large multi-disciplinary organisation.

You will work in the Unite against COVID-19 team and to contribute to an effective and equitable response to COVID-19. You will be a conduit facilitating engagement with iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori partners and help ensure the work of the COVID-19 Group responds to the needs of Māori by ensuring a Te Ao Māori lens is brought to the work of the health agencies.

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience:

• A relevant tertiary qualification, or at least 5 years' experience in engagement, communications and/or journalism
• Experience at building and sustaining good strategic relationships with government agencies, Māori and key stakeholder groups
• A strong practice in Māori communications and engagement consistent with Māori communications principles
  • Kanohi ki te kanohi | Face to face communication
  • He kanohi kitea | Building and maintaining sustainable relationships
  • He ngākau Māori | Foundationally Māori
  • He ngākau hūmārie | Humility
  • Te mita o te reo | Using Te Reo is critical
  • Experience developing and implementing engagement strategies and plans. 
  • Can work at pace and organise and prioritise work to ensure it is carried out effectively and delivered in a timely manner. 

This role requires and/or would benefit from the following

• An understanding of the significance of and obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including how to apply Te Tiriti principles in a meaningful way in your role
• Competency with te ao Māori, tikanga, and te reo Māori or a willingness to learn and grow

Nau mai, uru mai | Come and join us

Te Whatu Ora is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and that means people from all the communities we serve being represented in our workforce. We want to see the real you in your application and welcome the real you on board if you come and work with us. Skills are gained across many areas of our life, not just in formal employment. If you can demonstrate the skills listed in the ad, but the experience was gained through whānau life, community or mahi aroha (volunteering) we encourage you to apply and share your story with us in your cover letter. At Te Whatu Ora we acknowledge and respect our people's diversity and spiritual needs, ensuring a safe workplace that is a whānau orientated and supportive environment. We particularly welcome applications from Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

Te painga o te mahi tahi me matou | Benefits

This is a truly rewarding role where you will come to work each day making a difference, leading change, and creating capabilities across our health service. Te Whatu Ora supports flexible and hybrid working, offers learning and growth opportunities and gives all staff five weeks of annual leave per year.

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply

To view the position description and/or apply for the role (by submitting your cover letter and CV), please click “APPLY NOW.”  For tracking and reporting purposes, all applications must be submitted through our online career portal.

The applications closing date is midnight 8 February 2023. If you have any questions about the role, please feel free to careers@health.govt.nz