Palliative Medicine Specialist

Imagine starting your day surrounded by Tōtara trees, beautiful gardens - a calm oasis away from the city, and maybe with a flat white in your hand from our onsite cafe?

Tōtara Hospice is not your ordinary hospice — it is the leading palliative care provider in South Auckland. And right now, we’re looking for our next Palliative Medicine Specialist (SMO) to join our team.

Step inside and you’ll find more than a hospice — you’ll find a community. A café on site, a 2nd Edition boutique store, and a culture so good we won South and Southeast Auckland Employer of the Year 2024 at the 2Degrees Business Awards.

Still curious? Don’t just take our word for it — watch our story Hospice Heroes on demand now!

Te mahi | The role…

As a Palliative Medicine Specialist, you’ll lead holistic, specialist care for people living with serious illness. You’ll guide multidisciplinary teams, support complex symptom management, and help patients and whānau navigate end-of-life care with dignity and compassion. You’ll work across inpatient, outpatient, and community settings.

Ngā pūkenga e hiahiatia | What we would like to see from you…

Aside from your professional expertise, we care just as much about who you are. We’re looking for someone who brings curiosity and innovation to their work, who sees challenges as opportunities to create solutions, and who leads with compassion. You’ll thrive in collaboration, bring a proactive and forward-thinking approach, and feel at ease using technology to support care. Most of all, you’ll share our commitment to dignity, equity, and making a real difference for patients and their whānau.

You will also be :

• Eligible for vocational registration in Palliative Medicine (or related specialty) with the Medical Council of New Zealand
• Skilled in complex symptom management and palliative care delivery
• Compassionate, whānau-centred, and culturally safe in your practice
• Collaborative, thriving in multidisciplinary teams
• Committed to equitable care and better outcomes for Māori, Pacific, and diverse communities
• Salary aligned with SMO MECA scales , based on experience
• Our unique employee insurance package, only available at Tōtara Hospice
• Six weeks annual leave , plus professional development allowances
• Superannuation contributions + opportunities for career progression
• A workplace where heart, aroha, and purpose are lived every day

Kampene | About the organisation…

Since 1981, Tōtara Hospice has been a cornerstone of specialist palliative care for South and Southeast Auckland, serving one of New Zealand's most diverse communities. Each year, we provide holistic, multidisciplinary care to over 1,100 patients and their whānau, offering services that include inpatient care, community-based support, and a 24-hour advice line—all at no cost to our community. Our care focuses on ensuring dignity, comfort, and compassion for those with life-limiting illnesses.

We proudly embrace diversity and inclusion, valuing the unique backgrounds, beliefs, and lifestyles of every individual we serve. As part of our commitment, we foster a welcoming and supportive environment for both staff and patients, and we actively honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles in our service delivery.

We are proud to be recognized for winning the 2024 2degrees Auckland Business Awards for Employer of the Year, and finalists for Sustainability Excellence, and People’s Choice. This recognition highlights our efforts to create meaningful, innovative, and compassionate work that makes a difference.

If you’d like to discuss the role or arrange a confidential conversation, please contact : ; or reach out directly to our Medical Director : Dr James Jap –

Remember to include an updated copy of your CV and a cover letter explaining why you want to work for Tōtara Hospice. Applications close Thursday, 23 October 2025.

Tōtara Hospice as an organisation does not conscientiously object to anyone accessing their rights under the End-of-Life Choices Act that passed into law on November 7th 2021. Our focus will remain, as it always has been, on delivering to the needs of our patients and whānau.

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