Mental Health Nurse - Waikeria Prison

Mental Health Nurse – Hikitia

• Enjoy genuine work-life balance (no night shift) and diverse practice.
• Support to attain PDRP proficient or expert
• Work in a purpose-built mental health accommodation, called Te Wai o Pure.

Hikitia describes a collection of mental health and additions services in the Waikato region across our three prisons : Waikeria, Tongariro and Springhill Corrections Facility.

Hikitia has been designed to address the over-representation of prisoners with mental health and addictions issues and is the first of its kind in New Zealand.

It will provide multi-treatment mental health and addictions services, within the prison environment.

Nga Kawenga | About the Role

As a registered nurse, you will provide a comprehensive range of mental health nursing interventions, including triage, assessment, and holistic care based on culturally responsive best practice within a multi-disciplinary team.

You will direct, monitor, and evaluate nursing care provided by others, fostering teamwork to optimise care.

This role will include working in the Intervention and Support Unit, a purpose-built space to support people with mental health needs, as well as the wider prison.

You will play a key role in supporting safe, person-cantered decision-making in partnership with individuals, whanau, health, and custodial colleagues.

Shift work position, 80 hours per fortnight, with shifts rostered between 7 AM and 6 PM.

He Korero Mou | About You

You are a Registered Nurse who can demonstrate experience post registration experience in adult acute mental health care.

You have, or are willing to work towards, a PDRP at a Proficient or Expert level, as well as postgraduate qualifications in mental health nursing.

Utu A-Tau | Salary

The full salary range is $75,773 - $106,739.

Appointment and remuneration will reflect skills and experience relevant to the role.

Ko Wai Matou | About Us

Ara Poutama Aotearoa (Department of Corrections) Health Services lead the delivery of patient-focused primary health care services to tangata within corrections facilities across Aotearoa.

Hokai Rangi, our over-arching strategic direction, places the focus on health at the heart of our business.

Building our frameworks from a Matauranga Maori basis is our focus to drive and support equity for Maori, which in turn will contribute to achieving our outcomes of reducing reoffending.

You can find out more about us here.

Tono Inaianei | Apply Now

Applications Close :

Please apply and describe your motivation for joining the department, highlighting relevant skills and experience.

Include a tailored CV and Cover Letter.

Alignment to our Kaupapa is critical to our success—we ask that you provide examples that reflect and demonstrate our organisational values.

Ara Poutama Aotearoa values diversity in our workforce, and as a Public Service organisation, we are committed to building a workforce that reflects the public we serve.

We strive to make our recruitment process fair and inclusive, and we encourage you to discuss reasonable accommodations with us if required.

If you want to find out more about a career with us, visit our careers page or email our team at