Vacancies on the Pharmacy Council

Ministry of Health – Wellington, North Island

The Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora (the Ministry) is seeking candidates who wish to be considered for appointment as' health practitioner OR lay members of Pharmacy Council - Te Pou Whakamana Kaimatū o Aotearoa (the Council), a responsible authority under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (the HPCA Act). The purpose of the Council is to protect the health and safety of members of the public by ensuring that pharmacists are fit and competent to practice.

Being a member of the Council is rewarding and challenging. You will be committed to improving the health of New Zealanders, through contribution to the governance of the Board's legislative requirements.

The functions of responsible authorities are set out under section 118 of the HPCA Act. More information about the Council is available in the terms of reference and the Council's website including Governance guidelines.

Appointments to the Council are made by the Associate Minister of Health, Hon David Seymour, for terms of up to three years. Members can be reappointed for up to nine consecutive years.

The Ministry recognises that diversity enables our boards and councils to be high-performing and is committed to ensuring they represent the diversity in New Zealand's population, including gender, ethnicity, disability, age and geographic location. The Ministry encourages people from all backgrounds, especially those who can reflect the needs, values, and beliefs of Māori, and have an understanding of and are committed to meeting the obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi, to apply for these roles.

For all applicants, governance and / or regulatory experience is a plus but not required. It is beneficial if you have the ability to lead strategically, and to balance competing demands.

Preferred skills and attributes for health practitioner and laypeople positions include :

• Understanding of educational qualifications and the provision of tertiary education
• Public policy and leadership in the development and implementation of policy
• Wider pharmacy knowledge in other jurisdictions and / or involved in roles that require a wider environmental understanding of pharmacy
• Specialist pharmacy experience (e.g. a pharmacist prescriber)
• Recent pharmacy experience and / or pharmacy ownership experience

Health practitioner applicants must be a registered health practitioner and have a good understanding of the scope of practice, competencies and code of ethics or conduct.

Under section 5 of the HPCA Act, laypeople applicants cannot be qualified or registered as health practitioners. Preferred laypeople candidates will also :

Please note that members of a responsible authority board cannot simultaneously be a member of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal (the Tribunal) given the disciplinary function of the Tribunal over health practitioners.

How to apply - Me pēhea te tono

Applications must be made using the Ministry of Health online Career Centre by close of business 9 December 2025 and include :

Due diligence checks will be undertaken for shortlisted applicants. Your personal information will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020. The Ministry may also request that the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service conduct national security screening of you as part of the appointment process.

The appointment process can be lengthy, taking up to six months. Your patience and professionalism as we work through the next steps is appreciated. The outcome of the recruitment process for the Council will be confirmed after it has been considered by the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee.

Who we are - Ko wai mātou

See the Ministry of Health Board appointments webpage for more information.

If you would like to obtain further information or clarification, or if your circumstances change or should you wish to withdraw your application, please contact the Statutory Appointments and Integrity Services team by emailing :

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