Lived Experience Advisors

Location: Kenepuru Hospital

Contract: x3 Permanent, part-time (0.8 FTE) positions available

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, we’re building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence. 

About the Role 

We are looking for people with experience in providing lived experience advice, who have accessed secondary or tertiary mental health and/or addiction services and are keen to use their lived experience to make a difference. We currently have three vacancies for skilled and passionate individuals to work across all our services with a focus on systemic issues related to the needs and concerns of tāngata whai ora and their whānau. 

Lived Experience Advisors are people with lived experience of mental distress and/or addiction and recovery, having accessed secondary (community team) or tertiary (inpatient unit) mental services and want to use that experience to bring about systemic change. Our Lived Experience Advisors are broadly accountable for ensuring a lived experience perspective is presented, valued, and implemented in decision-making, policy and quality improvement projects. We have three vacancies available which will have a specific focus on the lived experience perspective they represent:

• Lived Experience Advisor – Māori
• Lived Experience Advisor – Pacific Peoples
• Lived Experience Advisor – Adult Acute and Specialist Services

Please ensure to specify in your application which vacancy you are applying for. All three vacancies are part-time up to 32 hours per week, and there is flexibility to start at 3 days a week if necessary and work up to 32 hours. 

You will be based with the Lived Experience Advisory Team at their Kenepuru Hospital office, but will regularly attend meetings at other Mental Health Addiction and Intellectual Disability Services (MHAIDS) in other locations. The salary for this position is $72,000 - $86,000 pro-rated to 0.8 FTE

About the Team/Service 

The Lived Experience Advisory Team is currently a team of seven people based at Kenepuru Hospital and working within:

• Inpatient units
• Youth, Forensic and Addictions Services
• Serious event reviews
• Our kaupapa Māori service Te Whare Marie
• Staff learning and development.

The team is part of a larger MHAIDS Lived Experience Team that includes the Director of Lived Experience and Engagement and three Lived Experience Leads who work within our adult community mental health services across Wairarapa, Hutt Valley, Wellington, Kapiti and Porirua. We are system-focused advisors and work in collaboration with MHAIDS to provide a lived experience perspective within the organisation. 

About you 

It is essential that you have experience working in a lived experience role (voluntary or paid), such as a peer support worker, or being a member of a lived experience advisory group etc. Experience in project, advisory, and group work with diverse groups of people is vital as you must be able to work with differences in opinions and collectively move towards a common goal.

Other key skills and experience we are looking for:

• Has personal lived experience of accessing secondary (community team) or tertiary (inpatient unit) mental health and/or addiction services and can share appropriate and relevant experiences to influence systemic change.
• Has an understanding of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how they apply to the health sector, knowledge of tikanga and Te Reo Māori, and connections with Māori communities.
• Has an understanding of the lived experience and peer workforce, upholds peer values and has an understanding of recovery that is trauma-informed, strengths-based, and wellbeing orientated. 
• Knows the relevant rights, legislation, policies and standards. E.g. Health and Disability Code of Consumer Rights and can recognise and champion the voices of current tāngata whai ora in quality improvement, service design, and delivery.

Working at Health New Zealand 

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is ‘the weaving of wellness’. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. 

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations. We embrace diversity and welcome application from all people, including all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and disability. A workforce that is diverse and inclusive means that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We are pro-equity health organisation, with a particular focus on Māori, Pacific Peoples, and the Disability Community. 

How to Apply 

To apply please click “apply now” and specify which vacancy you are applying for. All applications must be submitted through our online careers’ portal. If you have any questions about the role, please contact lucy.britland@tewhatuora.govt.nz

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