Rotorua Youth Workers - Expression of Interestat Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children -
Mō mātou | About us: Te Maioha o Parekarangi Youth Justice Residence, just outside Rotorua, provides a safe, secure and supportive environment where rangatahi (young people) who have offended can make changes and get their lives back on track.
It's a place where 13-17-year-olds accused of an offence stay to await court proceedings or serve a sentence. This means they are not free to leave. However, a residence is not a prison, and our Residential Youth Workers are not prison guards.
At all times we prioritise the safety and security of our tamariki and staff on site, however, we are committed to ensuring that the time tamariki spend in our residences will improve their prospects for the future. Our Residential Youth Workers are there to keep our tamariki safe, but they're also mentors, role models and coaches.
We offer a variety of interesting, educational, and fun activity programmes for our young people while they stay with us. A few examples of the activities we offer might include cooking classes, gaming and sports tournaments, vocational and cultural demonstrations, and lessons with leaders from the local community and much more!
Mō te tūnga | About the role: Our Residential Youth Workers enrich the lives of our tamariki and maximise learning opportunities and engagement with positive role models. They work alongside our partners to build high-trust relationships and help tamariki develop the skills, behaviours, and attitude they will need to meaningfully contribute to their whānau and their community.
They understand that the causes of offending are complex, and that successfully dealing with young offenders demands action beyond simple punitive measures. As a 24/7 operation, this is not a 9-5 job and requires consistent staffing across weekdays and weekends throughout the day and night, including Public Holidays.
Guiding behavioural change is a massive task and means our kaimahi have many responsibilities, including: Ensuring that a safe and secure environment is maintained for the benefit of the rangatahi, staff and the community Supporting young offenders in their personal growth and rehabilitation with a focus on health, education, training and employment Working with rangatahi to help them build and strengthen relationships with their whānau and communities and encouraging them to act on referrals to services Permanent, full time Youth Workers operate on a rostered shift schedule.
Casual Youth Workers cover the shifts of our full time team on an on-call basis.Ngā pūmanawatanga ōu | What you will bring: We value our kaimahi and the wide range of skills and experiences they have. We want to hear from you if you have: The ability to build positive relationships with a wide range of people whether it be through your experience in customer service, coaching, engaging in your community or experience working with rangatahi in positive and proactive ways Studied psychology, social sciences, social work, sports, arts or teaching and you want to bring those learnings to life in meaningful way by applying your skills to rangatahi in need of your help every day (beneficial but not required).
Life learnings are equally important and we value the life experience of our staff bring to this practical and challenging role. Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to work with others and contribute to a supportive and inclusive team.Knowledge of Tikanga and Te Reo which is an advantage - Oranga Tamariki is committed to developing our kaimahi to develop this important capability. Willingness and ability to work across a roster that covers mornings, evenings, weekends and public holidays An appropriate level of physical fitness that will allow you to safely support and interact with rangatahi A full, clean drivers licence is a must!Residential Youth Workers need to have the right to work in New Zealand, either as a NZ citizen or permanent resident, or by holding a valid work visa.
They will also need to be able to meet the safety checking and police vetting requirements required under the Children's Act.Nōu te rourou | What's in it for you: We offer a remuneration package that starts between approximately $57,760 and $65,334 (depending on your experience) for permanent, full time Youth Workers.On top of this, we also apply a 20% allowance to your base remuneration for working shifts/a roster pattern. The 20% allowance is applied once you have completed your initial induction and are placed onto a rotating roster that covers days, evenings and weekends.
Base remuneration plus the 20% allowance works out to be between $64,766 and $78,400 (depending on your experience). Additionally, Oranga Tamariki has a remuneration framework that offers step-based annual increases based on your tenure.Casual Youth Workers are offered $26.00 per hour + 8% holiday pay on hours worked.
There is a variety of shifts available as residences operate 24/7. We offer training and professional development so that you can thrive and grow, including a 3-week, full time (9am to 5pm) paid, training induction programme that will set you up for success.
We welcome diversity and are committed to working in an inclusive and respectful way. This is your opportunity to apply your skills and experience to the wellbeing of tamariki and rangatahi.Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to Apply: Submit your expression of interest on our online Careers site with your CV and answers to our questions.
A member of our Talent Acquisition team will be in touch if an opportunity matches your skills and experience.If you are an Oranga Tamariki employee already, please ensure you apply with a log in using your Oranga Tamariki email address. If you have any questions about role, please contact Info_recruit@ot.govt.nzThis Expression of Interest will no longer take submissions from Wednesday 4 February 2026If you are interested in any of our vacancies, please ensure that you make yourself familiar with our code of conduct as it sets out our expec ations for our kaimahi and requires you to present at work free from the influences of both drugs and alcohol.