Medical Director, Mental Health (50% Director & 50% Consultant Psychiatrist) - Palmerston North, Cen

Nau mai. Haere mai.

New Year. New Job. New LIfestyle 2022

This is an exciting opportunity for you to bring your leadership skills to New Zealand. We’re seeking a Medical Director for the Mental Health and Addiction Service (MHAS) in the central North Island of New Zealand. This is a great role with lots of scope for you to shape the service and make a genuine difference. 

MHAS has embarked on a significant transformation programme as they move to implement the recommendations from ‘He Ara Oranga, Mental Health & Addiction Inquiry’, which looked at the Mental Health service across the whole of New Zealand, and they are excited about their plans for the future.

And you could be part of it - perhaps you have had a leadership role before or maybe you are thinking about the next step up in your career.

Palmerston North is a vibrant and youthful city, set at the foot of the Tararua mountain range. It has all the facilities that you would expect of a city, yet is still compact, accessible and easy to navigate.

• Fresh professional challenge just 2 hrs north of the capital city of Wellington
• Leadership role with a strategic focus, opportunity to really shape and develop the service
• Permanent position, commencing 2022
• 50% Medical Director and 50% Consultant Psychiatrist
• FRANZCP or equivalent specialist qualifications
• Bring your experience of working in service development and clinical governance
• Enjoy an easy commute to and from work
• Become part of a welcoming, multicultural community
• Excellent central location to explore the rest of the North Island, including the west coast beaches in Foxton and Himatangi, the fabulous Hawke’s Bay vineyards, premier ski resorts, as well as the lakes in Taupo and Rotorua.

The Hospital and Service

The Health Board's main base is Palmerston North Hospital (a 350 bed secondary hospital) which services an urban population of 80,000 and a total population catchment of 168,000. In addition, the hospital is a teaching hospital, and is associated with both Auckland and Otago Medical schools. 

The Mental Health and Addiction Service (MHAS) provides comprehensive community-based mental health services across the complete age range including:

• Child, adolescent and family mental health services   
• Comprehensive community adult services   
• Specialist Maori mental health services (Oranga Hinengaro)  
• Specialist services for Mental Health for the elderly  
• Specialist community alcohol and drug services including OST services
• Comprehensive 24 hour acute care services (crisis intervention service) 
• Acute inpatient services (including intensive mental health care-26 beds)  
• General hospital liaison psychiatry
• Early intervention services  
• Intensive community rehabilitation services

As a service, they have a commitment to continuing medical education and professional development and their peer review group is enrolled with the maintenance of professional standards programme of the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.  

They are recognised by the College for registrar training in inpatient, general adult community, and child and adolescent psychiatry, and this is an area they are looking to further develop.

For this role

You will have broad specialist experience in Psychiatry and a sound understanding of contemporary models of care. You will also have proven leadership skills; experience in leading a multidisciplinary team and in service development; as well as a keen interest in clinical governance.

In addition, you will have an interest in medical education and teaching; and of course, a commitment to contributing to ongoing quality improvement programmes.

What’s on offer?

• Total package ranges NZ$180,000 - $300,000 per annum, depending on experience
• This includes: Base salary from NZ$164,369 to $244,560 pa, depending on level of experience; On-call calculated on top of your base; Continuing Medical Education Allowance NZ$16,000 + 10 days CME leave pa; plus the Clinical Director allowance
• Plus relocation assistance

The Location

Palmerston North is recognised by the Pan Pacific Safe Communities Network as an international safe community.

The Health Board itself employs over 2,500 staff across the Manawatu, Palmerston North, Tararua, Horowhenua and Otaki districts. 

The Manawatu region attracts people from far and wide. There is a lot to offer families of all ages. Living here is affordable, with high quality housing and the primary, secondary and tertiary education facilities have an excellent reputation. Massey University attracts international students with its variety of programmes in business, technology, sciences (including the only Vet school in NZ), agriculture and horticulture.

The Newcomers Network welcomes and embraces new arrivals and cultures to the city, connecting you to others who have already made the move. It’s also home to the military community as both the Army and Air Force have bases here. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants, and a wealth of sporting activities and community festivals, if you want to get involved. Some of the best mountain biking and hiking trails can be found here too. 

The commute to work is only 10-15 minutes from anywhere in the city.

If you prefer to live in a smaller township, just a 15 minute drive away from Palmerston North is Feilding, voted New Zealand’s most beautiful town 16 times, with its gorgeous gardens, Edwardian buildings, quiet neighbourhoods, and Farmers Markets at the weekends, it’s a great place to be based with a real sense of community.

Whether you decide to live in Palmerston North itself or Feilding, or any of the other small towns in the Manawatu region, the location in the middle of the North Island means you will be within easy driving distance of premier ski resorts at Turangi, Turoa and Whakapapa to the north, the lush Hawke’s Bay wine region to the east, clean and quiet unspoilt beaches (Himatangi, Foxton, Otaki) along the West Coast, and of course, to the South is NZ’s capital city of Wellington (2 hour drive).

The local airport has short daily commuter flights to/from Wellington and Auckland, making international flight connections easy.

Watch this short video “Move to Manawatu” (courtesy of ManawatuNZ.co.nz)

Explore Palmerston North and the Manawatu region here

Medical Registration

Ideally, you will hold FRANZCP and full Vocational registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ).

If you are an overseas specialist psychiatrist, you will hold equivalent specialist qualifications, having completed your specialist training in Australia (FRANZCP), the UK (MRCPsych/ FRCPsych and hold CCT), Canada (FRCPSC) or USA (current American Board Certification) that will enable Provisional Vocational (long term) registration or Locum Tenens (short term) registration. 

These are the two specialist pathways for medical registration in NZ for specialist psychiatrists. 

Primary Source Verification using EPIC

A Doctor’s relevant qualifications must be verified by ECFMG using the EPIC system on behalf of the Medical Council of New Zealand.  

If you are committed to working in New Zealand, we encourage doctors to start this process off as soon as possible if you hold qualifications from outside NZ.  Candidates are invited to log on to EPIC and complete this step online.  EPIC verifies your identity and your qualifications directly with you. 

Log on to EPIC here and read the FAQs section about how to get started.