Alcohol And Other Drug Clinician - Pookekatia Hauora Hub - Raahui Pookeka, Huntly

Matawhaanui Trust is a community inspired and driven Maaori provider based in Raahui Pookeka.

Its vision is to `reclaim Raahui Pookeka; street by street, whaanau by whaanau.

Together with the Maaori / Marae and Iwi community of Raahui Pookeka it works towards Mana Motuhake under the movement of Kingitanga and within the korowai of Waikato-Tainui.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all New Zealanders.

Through integration and collaboration, were building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whanau-centred care, and excellence.

About the Role

We are seeking a person who can relate and work with our people of Raahui Pookeka / North Waikato.

A clinician who has local experience, can relate to all people who make up the Raahui Pookeka community and who has lived experience in alcohol and drugs, will be the right professional to join our new Pookekatia Te Iwi Hauora Hub, based in Raahui Pookeka Huntly.

You will need to be a team player, and work within an intensive, personalised, Maori led, community focussed and clinically underpinned response to Hauora, cultural and social needs of the Raahui Pookeka and North Waikato community.

This group of taangata whaiora have been identified as having high needs, and who are not getting these needs met by the current service.

`High need has been defined as a mixture of mental health and addiction problems, physical health conditions, and disability combined with significant impairment and disadvantage across a range of social, psychological, behavioural, occupational and interpersonal domains.

Day to day you will need to engage with the wider team, consult with your colleagues and assess the taangata whaiora readiness to change, and assess immediate risk and safety concerns.

You will need to work with the wider Hauora team, the taangata whaiora and their whaanau and other clinicians / Kaimahi within the Pookekatia team to design, implement and evaluate a range of alcohol and drug groups and educational programs matched to the strengths, needs, characteristics, preferences and goals of participants

Key responsibilities of the role :

• Comprehensive knowledge of Raahui Pookeka, Kingitanga, Waikato-Tainui and the aspirations of Maaori and the general community of Raahui Pookeka and North Waikato.
• Have sound networks including government, non-government and Maaori providers to support your role and assessments.
• Understand the properties and effects of commonly misused drugs and alcohol and their interactions, as well as harm reduction principles.
• Be open to indigenous Rongoa and alternative interventions.
• Have sound knowledge to understanding all the determinants to addictions and drugs not just drugs and alcohol alone.
• Where relevant, facilitates client access to the range of addiction interventions relevant to the client by providing the intervention or referring appropriately.
• Recognise and respond to physical and mental health problems that commonly co-exist with alcohol and other drug disorders.
• Work within the model of care that Pookekatia Te Iwi will develop as it builds itself.
• Demonstrate knowledge and aims, philosophies, practices, policies, expected outcomes and availability of a spectrum of alcohol and other drug intervention models, programmes and approaches.

Click here to view the position description.

About the Team

Pookekatia Te Iwi is a philosophy inspired in partnership between Matawhaanui Trust and Te Whatu Ora.

It is a Hauora hub inspired and driven by the community of Raahui Pookeka to provide a community and Maaori approach towards a centralised point of access to wellbeing care by teams of Maaori health workers including Rongoa practitioners, whaanau ora, support workers, mental health and addictions service staff, primary care and social services.

Pookekatia Te Iwi Hauora Hub will provide the taangata whaiora the opportunity to receive immediate, responsive and relevant services and support by kaimahi who understand their community and have the appropriate skills to support and care.

Our success will be driven by the community responsiveness to Pookekatia Te Iwis kaupapa of reclaiming the wellbeing of Raahui Pookeka and North Waikato.

About you

• Competency and experience of working within Raahui Pookeka and having strong networks in Te ao Maaori, tikanga, and te reo Maori and a commitment to starting your journey and taking ownership of your learning and growth.
• Experience in upholding the Kingitanga, the values of Ngati Maahuta, Ngaati Whaawhaakia and Te Tiriti principals and frameworks, and the application of Maatauranga Maori and Kaupapa Maori approaches, particularly as they apply in healthcare / Hauora settings.
• Bachelor level qualification eligible for DAPAANZ full registration or ready to enrol and work towards the qualification.
• Minimum of 5 years work experience working with high need individuals and or whanau experiencing significant mental health and addiction problems.
• A strong desire to work from a Kingitanga, Te ao Maori perspective, acknowledging contributions from both cultural and clinical perspectives.
• Current full drivers license.

Partnering with Matawhaanui Trust

The applicant must have awareness, and / or have experience and / or understand the community of Raahui Pookeka.

Matawhaanui Trust as a Maaori owned and operated provider, will provide support and direction within this role.

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 Maori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

How to Apply

To apply please click Apply online or apply via our Waikato Careers website by clicking here.

All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal before 11 : 59 pm on 2 November 2025.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Robyn Payne at

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