Occupational Therapist


  • Fixed-term positions, part time and full time hours available please indicate your preference in your cover letter
  • Based at Christchurch Health Campus
  • Provide Occupational Therapy assessment and therapeutic interventions to service users and improve the health and well being of the Canterbury community!

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 have an exciting opportunity to join the supportive Occupational Therapy team at Christchurch Hospital.

These are fixed-term positions through to December, created to support increased service demand. As part of a large and dynamic team, there are often further opportunities that arise, including secondments and parental leave cover, providing potential for ongoing employment.

Occupational therapists work across multiple clinical areas at Christchurch Hospital including:

Trauma, Orthopaedics, General Medicine, Surgery, Neurology, Acute Stroke, Respiratory, Cardiology, Paediatrics, ICU, ED, Burns & Plastics, Oncology, Hand Therapy, Home Visit team. 

It’s likely you will be working in the General Medicine cluster.

In this role, you will be responsible for:

  • Working to provide comprehensive inter-disciplinary and specific occupational therapy based assessments, patient centred goal setting, therapeutic interventions, and education to whānau and friends and IDT colleagues
  • Working with patients from diverse social and cultural backgrounds and working collaboratively with whānau, the wider multidisciplinary team to ensure the best outcomes
  • Delegation of clinical tasks to Allied Health Assistants
  • Identifying service needs and contributing towards quality improvement initiatives
  • Being involved in patient-centred discharge planning

About You

You will have a passion and desire to work in acute care within a team environment, and want to grow and develop professionally as an occupational therapist.

You can expect to be well supported in your role. You will receive mentoring, supervision and professional development so that you can grow as an occupational therapist and progress in your career.

Your skills will include:

  • Sound clinical assessment and problem solving skills
  • The ability to work autonomously and collaboratively, to develop positive interpersonal relationships, and work flexibly within the inter-disciplinary team, with a team player attitude
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Strong clinical reasoning skills and use of evidence informed practice
  • Effective time management, organisational  and prioritisation skills
  • Experience with discharge planning
  • Clinical experience working within the acute hospital environment would be an advantage
  • A willingness to learn and to share your learning
  • Registration with the NZ Occupational Therapy Board and current Annual Practicing Certificate
  • Competency with te ao Māori, tikanga, and te reo Māori or a commitment to starting your journey and taking ownership of your learning and growth 

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 view the position description and/or apply for the role please click “apply now.” All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal before 11:59pm on 21st June. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Alex Jay at Alexandra.jay@tewhatuora.govt.nz or Clinical Manager Bronwyn Suzana on 0274 330 950 or Brownyn.suzana@cdhb.health.nz

Please note, we will be reviewing applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process before the closing date of this advert, we encourage you to apply early. 

Apply now

Fixed Term/Contract, Fixed Term/Contract/Full Time, Fixed Term/Contract/Part Time

Job no: PC4394584

Location: Christchurch

Closing Date: Sunday, 21st June 2026