Play Specialist

Play Specialist – Children's Unit

Southland Hospital

• Are you a qualified Early Childhood Education teacher?
• Do you have a background in child development and a creative streak?
• 0.45 FTE (18hrs per week) permanent job share opportunity

Are you looking for a new challenge in a unique environment?  We have an exciting opportunity for you to make a difference to the lives of children & young people in the Hospital environment.  We are seeking an enthusiastic, registered and experienced early childhood teacher to join us as a Play Specialist at Southland Hospital on a permanent part-time basis. This is a job share position working 5 days a fortnight -7.5hrs a day

About the Service

Our Paediatric Service in Southland is committed to maintaining a child's learning and development while enhancing their ability to cope with illness, hospitalisation and treatments. We work with children from birth to 16 years, using play as a tool to normalise their experience and minimise the psychological impact on the child while in hospital.

About the Role

As a hospital play specialist, you will support infants, children and young people to become confident and competent learners within the context of their hospital experience. With a strong educational and psycho-social framework that supports whānau involvement, you will facilitate children's continued development and their ability to cope successfully with challenges related to their hospital visit.

You will help normalise the hospital visit in a play space; familiarising children with medical equipment or procedures; supporting children during procedures, including blood tests; or developing and practising coping strategies. This role is challenging but very rewarding when working with children, their whānau and our wider multi-disciplinary team.

Reporting to the Charge Nurse Manager, you will be comfortable working sole charge to plan, assess and develop person centred plans of care and education, following up with implementation and evaluation. You will use contemporary research and evidence-based practice to ensure safe, high-quality interventions.

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About You

It's important that you can work with young and older children and are able to engage and work closely with parents/family/whanau. You will not be phased by the hospital environment and can thrive working in a wider multidisciplinary team. You believe in the importance of play and its positive effects on the well-being of children. To succeed in this role, you will also need to have:

• Registration as an EC teacher with a current practicing certificate
• Excellent communication skills and ability to build rapport quickly with those around you
• Experience of working with young people and families from diverse ethnic backgrounds

If you're passionate about advocating for the importance of play during challenging times in children's lives, apply today

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 Friday 12 December 2025. If you have any questions about the role, please contact:

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