• Based at Wakari Hospital, Dunedin
• Permanent, full-time role (1.0 FTE)
• Salary band: as per ASMS MECA 2026 (NZD $198,386 – $282,645)

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all New Zealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we’re building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence.

About us

The SRFPS provides forensic mental health input across Otago and Southland and includes:

• an adult 15-bedded medium secure inpatient ward
• forensic and intellectual disability community teams
• regional prison and court liaison services.

Depending on the area of work, typical duties may include:

• inpatient and outpatient forensic care
• court-ordered reports
• prison clinics
• providing regional liaison and second opinions to colleagues.

About the role

The current configuration of this role is 1.0 FTE forensic psychiatry and we can tailor this role to offer flexibility to work. Whilst you will work within a multi-disciplinary team and are responsible for the psychiatric assessment and care of patients, you will be taking a leading role in maintaining and enhancing our mental health service. Your responsibilities will include assessment and treatment of the forensic mental health adult population.

You will be expected to be on the service-wide general psychiatry on-call roster (supporting the on-call registrar) which is currently 1:18 and participate in professional development activities such as CPD groups, journal clubs and grand rounds. With our strong links to the Otago Medical School you will be able to enjoy teaching medical students and registrars. You will contribute to ongoing service improvement and workforce innovation.

To be successful in this role, you will need to be committed to quality service delivery and development and able to work effectively as a senior clinician within a multidisciplinary team.

About you

Fellowship with the RANZCP or the equivalent is essential and ideally you will already have a current registration with the NZ Medical Council.

As a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, you will have a personal commitment to maintaining high standards of practice and an unequivocal dedication to working as part of a team. Your ability to provide clinical leadership and reliable medical input to the multi-disciplinary team is pivotal to the position. As well as a strong commitment to service user and family inclusion in service delivery and a focus on recovery, you will also have a sound understanding and commitment to biculturalism. You will have a demonstrated commitment to continuing professional development and providing training to students at all levels.

We also welcome applications from advanced trainees who are about to complete their final six months of training as a fellow with supervision or Psychiatrists interested in advanced training.

Working for Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is ‘the weaving of wellness’. We’re dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa New Zealand. The Equity Work Programme at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora focuses on helping everyone in the health system think about equity when they do their work. It also promotes the cultural change needed for the whole system to reach equity in health outcomes.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations.

Salary range

This role belongs to the ASMS Collective Agreement and falls between Step 1 ($198, 386) and Step 15 ($282, 645 per annum pro-rata).

How to apply

To apply please click ‘apply now’. All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal by 11.59pm on Friday, 28 August 2026. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Agatha Chen, Recruitment Advisor – Senior Medical Officers agatha.chen@tewhatuora.govt.nz

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

Pre-employment checks

In the interests of protecting our people and our patients, all appointments will be subject to the following:

• Occupational health assessment
• Police vetting/Ministry of Justice safety checks
• Serious misconduct checks (previous Public Service departments and statutory Crown entities only)

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