Bailiff at NZ Ministry of Justice, Manawatu/Whanganui

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

Bailiff - Palmerston North - Permanent, full-time

Te Haeata/The Opportunity

A fantastic opportunity to represent the Ministry of Justice as part of our Collections team.

Collections is part of the Ministry of Justice's National Service Delivery Group and is responsible for the Ministry's debt portfolio. Our collections operation is the enforcement arm of the District Court, working within our collection's strategy of “Better Debt Resolution”.

The Bailiff function is a national operation with a team of 40 Bailiffs, who work from multiple sites across the country. A Bailiff's primary purpose is to collect money by enforcing outstanding fines, reparation, and civil debt, as well as serving court documents.

This is a role like no other in New Zealand, with no two days being the same. On any given day on the road, you might need to evict someone from a property; obtain full payment of fines, reparation, or a civil debt; seize somebody's assets; or serve a document.

In executing a warrant, a Bailiff may need to attach a wheel clamp or seize a vehicle to recover the outstanding fines or debt. A good level of physical fitness is therefore required.

This is a role in which you will face many challenges. The majority of the time you'll be working by yourself, out on the road visiting people at their homes and places of work or working in conjunction with our stakeholder partners such as police and local authorities. Some people may not be cooperative or pleased to see you and your ability to stand firm and achieve the right outcome will be key to your success.

Ō pūkenga/Skills and Experience

No candidate will meet every single desired qualification. If your experience looks a little different from what we have outlined and believe you can bring value to the role, we'd love to hear from you!

You don't have to have experience in a security or debt collection roles. Our successful Bailiffs have a wide range of previous experience. We want the right people with the right characteristics:

• full Class-1 drivers licence
• ability to apply good judgement and decision making under pressure
• able to work independently
• happy to be part of a national team
• outcome focussed
• effective communicator
• excellent negotiation skills
• resilience

Mō mātou/About us

At Te Tāhū o te Ture - the Ministry of Justice, we're committed to strengthening people's trust in the law of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Joining Te Tāhū o te Ture means you will become part of an organisation that welcomes and supports people of all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, disabilities and religions. 

Ngā painga o tēnei wāhi mahi/What's great about working here

We offer you a range of benefits to support your wellbeing and help make the Ministry a great place to be. These include:

• 4.4 weeks holiday leave
• flexible work hours where possible
• an online professional development portal
• access to a variety of inclusive and proactive networks

See our full range of benefits here.

With a wide range of jobs, you also get the chance to gain a variety of skills and experience while developing your career.

Utu ā-tau/Salary

The appointing salary for this role will be between $66,066 and $90,008 based on skills and experience.

Note that successful candidates may be required to attend training in Wellington or Auckland for 2 weeks.

Tono mai/Apply

To apply, click the Apply button below to be directed to our Careers Website. You can view a detailed position description here, as well as complete an online application form by attaching your CV and cover letter.

Applications close on 25 January 2026; however, we will be reviewing CVs as they come in and may invite candidates to interview before the close date.

If you have any questions, please contact recruitment@justice.govt.nz

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