Director – Māori Relations

THE OPPORTUNITY

New Zealand Health Group (NZHG) Limited is the country’s largest provider of Home and Community Services, rehabilitation and behavioural support, disability, health staffing and training. Through its companies, Geneva Healthcare, HealthCare New Zealand, Solora, NZCL and Explore, it provides healthcare services to over 30,000 New Zealanders and employs over 12,000 caregiving, nursing and other health professional staff.

Having operated in the sector for over 30 years, the company has built up and enviable reputation of relentlessly pursuing better techniques and systems to be able to provide the very best of care and support for those New Zealanders who need help to live in their own homes as independently as possible.

We are values driven, dedicated to delivering culturally appropriate and safe care for all our people and their whānau. We are committed to contributing to our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the pursuit of health equity for all. Our values are Kai Whakaute – We act with Care, Respect and Empathy, Kai Huhuatanga – We strive for Excellence and Quality and Kai Whanaungatanga – We act in Partnership, are fundamental to everything we do.

THE ROLE

This role of Director – Māori Relations is focused on building strong, collaborative relationships with Iwi and community organisations, identifying opportunities to work together in ways that deliver mutual value.

The Director – Māori Relations is tasked with developing and maintaining strong relationships with Iwi and community organisations, ensuring engagement is grounded in mutual respect, cultural understanding, and shared outcomes. This is achieved through competency to:

• Identify and deliver initiatives that reflect what can be done in collaboration with and for Iwi and communities.
• Work closely with Kaumātua, ensuring their insights and cultural guidance are incorporated into planning and decision-making processes.
• Collaborate with Category Directors to design and implement plans that reflect the needs and opportunities within their respective areas.
• Continually look for opportunities related to business growth across the Group business units to add value to the products and services we deliver to our customers in conjunction with the Groups strategic goals.
• Support senior leaders by drafting of relevant sections of RFPs which support NZHG’s bid to build market share and gain new business.
• Take responsibility for ensuring we are meeting our internal equity related requirements.
• Represent the organisation in matters relating to Māori interests and perspectives, ensuring respectful and culturally appropriate engagement with iwi, hapū, and Māori stakeholders.
• Provide internal guidance and support on tikanga Māori and te ao Māori, helping to embed Māori values and practices into organisational policies, procedures, and decision-making.

The Director is part of the executive team reporting to the Chief Executive Officer.

THE CANDIDATE

This role requires an experienced executive leader with proven positive results in developing rich networks and a track record of success in large, complex organisations. Candidates will bring:

• Comprehensive understanding of Te ao Māori, and tikanga Māori.
• An ability to speak and competently converse in Te Reo Māori.
• Experience building cultural frameworks specifically related to Te ao Māori practices and capability development.
• Demonstrated ability of building networks across various Hapu, Iwi and other Kaupapa Māori organisations.

HOW TO APPLY

The closing date for applications is Sunday, 9th November 2025. The reference number to include in your application is H25_5293