Senior Advisor

• Permanent, full-time role based anywhere in New Zealand.
• Play a key role in supporting Ministers and senior leaders with high-profile, time-critical work.
• Gain exposure across a wide range of government processes and health system priorities.
• Join a supportive, fast-paced team where your expertise and judgement really matter.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is the country's largest employer, delivering universal public healthcare to 5 million New Zealanders.

We provide essential hospital, specialist, and community health services across 80+ locations — from large urban centres to rural towns and remote communities.

Our goal is to improve health outcomes for all New Zealanders by delivering equitable, accessible and innovative care.

About the Role

The Government Services group manages high volumes of work each year, including Official Information Act (OIA) requests, Written and Oral Parliamentary Questions (WPQs), Ministerial correspondence, and briefings. This is a fast-paced, high-trust environment where quality, accuracy and timeliness are critical.

As a Senior Advisor in the newly formed Business Integration and Quality team, you will provide high-quality advice across all ministerial and parliamentary products, with a particular focus on OIAs including the oversight of interactions with the Office of the Ombudsman. A strong technical knowledge of the Act would therefore be a distinct advantage.

This role offers a great opportunity to contribute to the continuous improvement of systems and processes, and the on-going quality of Government Services through review and feedback loops. You will also provide coaching and support to Advisors and build strong working relationships across Health New Zealand and the wider public sector.

This is a role where your judgement, writing ability and stakeholder skills will directly contribute to the credibility and effectiveness of Health New Zealand and its Ministers.

About you

You are an experienced advisor who thrives in a fast-moving environment and takes pride in delivering high-quality work under pressure. You enjoy working with complex information and translating it into clear, accurate and defensible advice.

You will bring:

• A relevant tertiary qualification or equivalent experience.
• At least three years' experience working in government services or a similar environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of relevant legislation and machinery of government processes.
• Solid experience in Official Information Act requests, backed by sound technical knowledge of the Act.
• Strong research, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages for different audiences.
• Experience coaching or supporting others.
• A high attention to detail and sound judgement.
• Strong relationship management and stakeholder engagement skills.
• The ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively in ambiguity.
• A strong understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how to apply its principles in your work.

You are collaborative, approachable and committed to delivering work that supports equitable health outcomes.

Working for 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.    

How to Apply 

To apply, please click “apply now.”  All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal by 11:59PM Sunday 4 October 2026. For further information, please contact Nicole Rickard on Nicole.Rickard@TeWhatuOra.Govt.NZ.

The full position description is available on the Health New Zealand Careers site.

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