Specialist Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Practitioner, Mental Health & Addictions

Permanent, full-time role  

Remuneration as per PSA Allied Health MECA guidelines  

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.  

Help us to transform the way that we respond to the mental health and addiction needs of our communities in Counties Manukau.  Nau mai haere mai kia kokiritia te manukanuka hauora o te hapori kia whakautu ngaa taumahatanga o te hinengaro ora me te waranga. 

Here at Counties Manukau, we’re working to transform the way that we, and our system, works to better meet the mental health and addiction needs of our population – we want people with an addiction and/or mental illness to live longer, healthier lives. 

We want to support people to get a holistic, joined-up response to their addiction needs, mental health needs, and physical health. To achieve that, we’re working to improve the way that we deliver specialist care, and to improve the way that we work with our partners in primary care and the NGO sector to enable a more comprehensive response to an individual and whaanau wellbeing. 

We are passionate about the need to do more to better meet our population’s needs – and we’re excited about the opportunity to build a new team that will be pivotal in this journey. 

We are looking for people who are experts in their field of addiction. People who are excited to have the opportunity to take something new and grow it – who want to contribute their ideas and can challenge us to do better.  

As a specialist AOD practitioner, you will be a registered healthcare professional (nursing, allied or psychology) DAPAANZ registered, with experience practising within the ‘Addiction Intervention Competency Framework’. 

You will bring with you the mana to coach and mentor our workforce, and the confidence to contribute to and lead the development of our addiction capability. Your work will complement that of our existing CEP practitioner resource, and you will work collaboratively with the Community Alcohol and Drug Service (CADS). 

You will practise in a culturally responsive way and will bring with you experience of working effectively to meet the needs of Maaori and Pacific. 

The liaison team will be working district-wide, bringing experience across the age range from youth to adult. Although based at Lambie drive Manukau, your liaison work will take you across our range of community locations, with the majority of your time spent away from your ‘home’ base.   

Essential: 

• Registered healthcare professional (nursing, allied or psychology) DAPAANZ registered 

• A minimum of 5 years post qualification clinical experience in the AOD sector based on the DAPAANZ ‘Addiction Intervention Competency 

• Training in supervision

• Knowledge of substances uses disorders, treatment options and screening tools 

• Full driver’s license with no limitations 

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 Maaori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.  

How to Apply  

To apply please click “apply now.” All applications must be submitted through our online careers’ portal 22 September 2026. To review the position description, please click here. 

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Kevin on kevin.hunt@tewhatuora.govt.nz or Amy on amy.lin@tewhatuora.govt.nz 

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

At Counties Manukau Health people and their lives matter to us. We are a values based and inclusive organisation that is committed to delivering the best health outcomes for our community. To help us achieve this we need a workforce that reflects the population we serve. We strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds who share our values and have a passion to work in our community and would greatly value seeing applicants from our Maaori and Pacific communities. We are also committed to our Disability Strategy, which focuses on people with disabilities; they are our patients, whaanau, community and our staff - all carefully considered in our action plan. Together we will improve the accessibility needs for everyone who has a disability. Our values are Valuing Everyone- Whakawhanaungatanga , Kind –Manaakitanga, Together –Kotahitanga, Excellent- Rangatiratanga. If these are your values too, then join us today.