Oral Health Promoter - Child Health (Wellington Region)

Location: Lower Hutt (main base) as well as across the Wellington Region (particularly in Porirua and Kāpiti)   

Contract: Permanent, Full Time

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all New Zealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we’re building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence. 

About the Role 

You will be out and about throughout the Wellington Region, particularly in the Porirua and Kāpiti communities, connecting with Kōhanga Reo, Pacific Language Nests, kura, community groups, health care providers, iwi, hapu, and whānau. Working in collaboration with those organisations, you will improve the oral health of tamariki and rangatahi by delivering a range of oral health education and promotion initiatives.

About the Team/Service Location 

Bee Healthy Regional Dental Service provides free (government funded) oral health care for tamariki from birth to the end of school Year 8. We cover all of the Hutt Valley, Wellington, Porirua, and the Kāpiti Coast.

Much of what we do is to provide free oral health exams and treatments for tamariki in our district, but we also have a small early intervention team, whose role is to promote good oral health and early intervention, particularly targeting traditionally underserved communities.

Our team loves working with tamariki, whānau, and communities to support and improve the health of all. We are often out of the office, working in the community, but we also spend time in the office arranging and planning our mahi, and we come together as a team to support each other on the bigger events.

We work across Porirua, Hutt Valley, Kāpiti, and Wellington to improve oral health among Māori and Pacific tamariki, and other tamariki from communities with high oral health needs. We work with health providers, community groups, early childhood centres, schools, parent groups and church groups, among others, to support communities and whānau improve their oral health.

We don’t just sit at a desk. We’re out in the community making a real difference in people’s lives.

About you 

You will be someone who enjoys working in a team environment, is flexible and motivated and committed to improving equity of health outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi. Having an understanding of the causes of health inequities in Aotearoa / New Zealand and of strategies to improve equity of health outcomes is desired.

You love working with tamariki and rangatahi, but especially with pre-schoolers.

As a health promoter, you will work with communities from diverse backgrounds so an ability to engage with those communities sensitively and effectively is essential. It is particularly useful if you already have connections with community groups in the Porirua or Kāpiti regions.

You will have excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing, both formal and informal, and with a wide range of audiences, ages, and cultures, as well as have the ability to present to both large and small groups in an engaging manner.

Working effectively with other organisations is critical to what we do, so you will know how to make connections and build relationships.

Having a qualification or previous work experience in public health, health promotion, education or a relevant field is an advantage.

You will be available to work some weekends/evenings to provide health education and promotion at community events.

You will be based in our offices in Hutt Central, Lower Hutt, but you will work right across our region. A full drivers’ licence is essential.

It’s a bonus if you can converse in Te Reo Māori, Pacific Island languages, New Zealand Sign Language, and/or a language spoken by former refugees residing in our region. It is also a bonus if you have personal experience living with disability, or of supporting others who live with disability.

Working at Health New Zealand 

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is ‘the weaving of wellness’. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. 

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations. We embrace diversity and welcome application from all people, including all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and disability. A workforce that is diverse and inclusive means that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We are pro-equity health organisation, with a particular focus on Māori, Pacific Peoples, and the Disability Community. 

How to Apply 

To apply please click “apply now.” All applications must be submitted through our online careers’ portal.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Philip Adamson, Philip.Adamson@tewhatuora.govt.nz 

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

Position description Apply now

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