Clinical Nurse Specialist – Totara House Early Intervention in Psychosis team

• 1.0 FTE fixed term until 1/1/2027
• Totara House, Christchurch
  

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 role

We are seeking a Clinical Nurse Specialist to join our Early Intervention in Psychosis community-based team.  Totara House provides care for people between the ages of 18 to 28 who have experienced their first episode of psychosis.  The service provides intensive follow-up as well as providing group activities to engage tangata whaiora and their families.  Early intervention in the treatment of psychosis has been proven to reduce harm and improve outcomes for tangata whaiora recovering from psychosis. 

We are a dynamic community mental health team serving the Christchurch area.Our multidisciplinary team brings together the expertise of Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Pūkenga Atawhai, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, Psychologists, and Peer Workers.

We are dedicated to harnessing these diverse skills and perspectives to deliver the highest quality care and support for our clients.

In this role, you will:

• Provide expert nursing practice and leadership, ensuring clinical excellence and improved health outcomes for our consumers/whaiora.
• Support the Clinical Manager as a leader, change agent, and care coordinator, driving quality improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate closely with referral sources to facilitate smooth transitions of consumer care into and out of our community mental health team.
• Lead, facilitate, and contribute to education, consultation, and research activities within the team, fostering continuous learning and development.
• Work closely with the Clinical Manager to coordinate and oversee patient care provided by multidisciplinary team colleagues.

About You

You will be a talented, experienced Community Mental Health Nurse who is motivated, hardworking and confident to step into a leadership role or one who is already performing well in this role. You will have a strong professional nursing background, an interest in working with other disciplines in a multidisciplinary team and a talent for supporting and coordinating the resources available to us in our MDT to provide the best patient outcomes we can.

In this role, you will be responsible for:

• Coordinating the transition of consumers/whaiora  in and out of the community mental health team,
• Overseeing the clinical care provided by nursing and multidisciplinary team,
• Supporting the Clinical Manager as a leader/change agent,
• Role modelling nursing clinical excellence to improve health outcomes,
• Providing support and guidance, including caseload Reviews, performance feedback and Performance Appraisals, to nursing staff in the team.

Your skills will include:

• Have an interest in Early Intervention in Psychosis
• Be registered with the Nursing Council of New Zealand,
• Post Graduate Nursing diploma in relevant area required
• Hold a current Nursing Council of New Zealand practising certificate,
• Demonstrates Clinical excellence with a focus on Community Mental Health Nursing
• Motivation and confidence to be in a leadership role,
• Ability to lead and get the best out of your colleagues,
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues of different disciplines in our multidisciplinary team.
• Preferably a Duly Authorised Officer for the MHA
  

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

To apply please click “apply now.” All applications must be submitted through our online careers’ portal by Sunday 18^th January 2026. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Natalie Gaunt at natalie.gaunt@TeWhatuOra.govt.nz

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