HR Business Partner at Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand Southern, Otago

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

• Invercargill and Dunedin
• Full-time, fixed-term role for six months

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders.

About the role

This role will ensure HR functional expertise is applied in the organisation. This position includes converting the Health New Zealand Southern requirements into integrated people solutions in all relevant HR areas, in order to enable the Department/Directorate's/Team's performance.

The HR Business Partner will:

• manage the flow of talent by developing people and leaders, driving individual performance, and building technical talent
• build strong working relationships of trust by having a proactive point of view
• manage employee wellbeing through financial and non-financial rewards
• analyse and understand external market factors
• be able to manage organisation tensions
• support safe staffing levels within the relevant directorates aligned with overall operational and functional needs
• effectively manage changes in team constructs to support effective and efficient work practices that enable balanced workload
• ensure processes are related to compliance by following regulatory guidelines
• ensure that HR practices comply with government laws
• actively educate employees and managers on how to stay within legal guidelines regarding on-the-job behaviour.

About the Team/Service/Location

Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora - Southern has the largest geographical coverage of all the New Zealand regions, providing services to 350,000 people in diverse communities. We take pride in all the services we provide, and our aim is to improve, promote and protect the health of our region. We believe that our dedicated and passionate staff are a significant driving force behind the achievement of these standards, and we need more like-minded people to help us continue providing for our community.

About you

We are looking for someone who will be able to closely follow set HR processes and challenge your own (and others') thinking when you need to. You will be expected to apply the organisation values in everything you do. A key part of your role is coaching and advising managers and staff in a way that builds HR capability across the organisation.

Our ideal candidate will:

• have eight plus years of broad HR generalist experience, preferably at the business partner/senior advisor level
• have excellent verbal and written communication skills
• have strong technical HR knowledge, in an NZ employment relations context
• have the ability to take the lead on difficult or sensitive performance and change management processes
• have the ability to negotiate and resolve employee issues
• be a naturally skilled and influential communicator
• be honest and able to build constructive relationships, particularly with Unions.

An essential requirement, of course, is that we need you to be able to hit the ground running and think on your feet in this busy role. If you are resilient and flexible, someone who thrives in a dynamic and changing environment, creates energy in a team, and just likes getting out there and doing it, then hit apply now!

View position description.

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 Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

How to apply

To apply please click "apply now". All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal by 4 August 2025. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Mikayla Hamilton at mikayla.hamilton@tewhatuora.govt.nz

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

We only accept online applications. Please apply via our website.