Breastfeeding Advisor at Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora Te Matau a Māui Hawke's Bay, Hawkes Bay

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

• Breastfeeding Advisor Hawkes Bay Fallen Soldiers Hospital
• Permanent, Part-Time 64 hours per fortnight (0.8 FTE)
• Become a key influencer in improving exclusive breastfeeding rates and enhancing the quality of care across the maternity journey.

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

As the Breastfeeding Advisor/BFHI Coordinator, you will be the key clinical expert supporting breastfeeding people, their pēpi, and their whānau across Te Whatu Ora Hawkes Bay. Youll provide specialist breastfeeding assessment, education, coaching and support, promoting best practice in line with local policies and national guidelines.

A core part of your role will be leading and maintaining the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) accreditation across all Hawkes Bay maternity facilities, including Wairoa. This includes championing consistent breastfeeding messaging, monitoring exclusive breastfeeding rates, and strengthening collaborative relationships with community breastfeeding services. Your mahi will directly influence positive, equitable outcomes for birthing people and pēpi across the region.

Please click here to view the position description

About the Team/Service/ Location

Youll work within the Hawkes Bay Maternity Service, based at Hastings Hospital, alongside a passionate, multidisciplinary team dedicated to clinically and culturally responsive maternity care.

Your role collaborates closely with midwives, nurses, obstetricians, paediatric teams, Te Kaihaukura (Māori Midwife Lead), lactation consultants, breastfeeding kaiāwhina, Wairoa maternity teams, LMCs, iwi providers, Well Child providers, and national breastfeeding organisations.

The service is guided by the values of Te Mauri o Rongo and the findings of the Hau Te Kura Nurturing Our Treasures review, which emphasises cultural safety, equity, whānau partnerships and the elimination of institutional barriers to breastfeeding success.

For more information on living and working in Hawkes Bay click HERE

About you

You are a confident clinical practitioner with strong relationshipbuilding skills and a genuine passion for supporting breastfeeding outcomes and equity. To succeed in this role, you will have:

Essential

• Current Midwifery or Nursing APC
• IBCLC certification (mandatory for RNs) or working towards it
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to improving equity for breastfeeding people and eliminating barriers to breastfeeding success

Desired

• Certificate in Adult Education (or working towards)
• Computer literacy (MS Office, Teams)
• Experience with audit tools and quality improvement
• Initiative, innovation, flexibility, and ability to work collaboratively

Youll be someone who takes responsibility for your practice, champions excellence, embraces Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and applies Turanga Kaupapa and Whānau Ora philosophies in your daytoday work.

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 19^th February 2026. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Dawn Tyler dawn.tyler@hbdhb.govt.nz

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

Whilst Health New Zealand is undergoing change, affected employees will be given preference and priority for this position.