Rural Health Specialists, Rural or Gen Med Specialists, FACEMS's

• Northland, New Zealand
• Permanent full and part-time positions

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 Roles and locations

At our rural hospitals (Kaitaia, Dargaville, Bay of Islands), we are now seeking Rural Health Specialists, Rural Generalists, General Medicine Specialists, FACEM's or Urgent Care Specialists to build our team as we partner with the community to transform health care provisions to the Tai Tokerau community.

We are seeking expressions of interest from:

• Rural Hospital Medicine {RHM) Specialists
• Dual trained RHM/FACEM's 
• FACEM's with rural hospital experience 
• Rural GP's with ED and ward experience
• Urgent Care Specialists with rural hospital experience
• General Medicine Specialists

Ideally, you will have a postgraduate qualification in Point of Care Ultrasound. You will be comfortable working flexibly with our small team of excellent nurses and allied health professionals and be keen to help us develop services as we grow.

Our Hospitals

Dargaville Hospital

Dargaville is a small Northland town known for its kūmara farming and kaurigum collection. Dargaville sits on the Northern Wairoa River in the Kaipara District, about 55 km southwest of Whangārei and 174 km north of Auckland. It has a population of around 5,170 (2025) and is noted for its unusually high proportion of residents of Croatian (Dalmatian) descent.

The hospital has:

• An Illness and Injury Facility
• A 12 bed inpatient unit
• Diagnostics including Laboratory, Ultrasound and X Ray
• Oncology
• Pre and post-natal birthing care
• Allied Health services
• A range of outpatient and community services.

Bay of Islands Hospital 

Kawakawa is a small Bay of Islands town with a coalmining past, strong Māori heritage, and distinctive artistic landmarks, located about 55 km (34 miles) North of Whangārei by road. The town is in the centre of the Bay of Islands, only 20 minutes from Paihia, 30 minutes from Kerikeri and Kaikohe. Estimated population this hospital is services is around 10,000 (2025).

 The hospital has: 

• An Emergency Department
• A 20 bed inpatient unit
• Diagnostics including Laboratory, Ultrasound and X Ray
• Oncology and Renal Unit
• Primary birthing unit
• Allied Health services
• A range of outpatient and community services

Kaitaia Hospital

Kaitaia is the northernmost major town in New Zealand, a service and commercial hub for the Far North with strong Māori heritage, a missionstation history, and an economy built on farming, forestry, and tourism. Kaitaia sits at the base of the Aupōuri Peninsula, about 160 km northwest of Whangārei, making it the last significant town before Cape Reinga. It is close to Ahipara and the southern end of Te OneroaaTōhē / Ninety Mile Beach, only 5 km west. Kaitaia has an estimated population of 6,170 (2025)

The hospital has:

• An Emergency Department
• A 20 bed inpatient unit
• Diagnostics including Laboratory, Ultrasound and X-Ray
• Oncology and Renal Unit
• Primary birthing unit
• Allied Health
• A range of outpatient and community services

Those who require urgent specialist care from any of our rural sites are transferred by road or helicopter to Whangarei. In these roles, you will be well supported as there is a close working relationship already established with colleagues from all sites as well as with St Johns, the air transport providers (Helicopter and fixed wing) and Whangarei Critical Care Department. Our in-patient ward constitutes a mix of general medicine, geriatrics, non-operative surgical, rehabilitation medicine and palliative care. All clinicians contribute to education and supervision.

As part of Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora Te Tai Tokerau, there are a number of opportunities to link in with new models of care for these rural communities in partnership with the community, Iwi providers and other orgnaisations, the wider Te Tai Tokerau Health System and the Universities. There are also opportunities to work in primary care

About you

• To be considered you must have or be eligible for specialist (or locum tenens) registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) in a relevant Vocational scope of practice.
• If you are a Medical Officer with a clear path towards vocational registration in rural hospital medicine, we would love to hear from you.
• If you are currently overseas / not yet registered, we can assist you with the application process to obtain MCNZ registration. 

For more information on living and working in Northland click here

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.

How to Apply

If any of these roles are of interest to you then please click "Apply Now". 

All expressions must be submitted through our online careers' portal. If you have any questions about the role, please contact NL-SMO.Jobs@TeWhatuOra.govt.nz