Kaitūruki Mental Health - Peer Support
Te Oranganui are inviting applicants with experience of mental distress and addiction recovery to join our team in the Hope & Co Crisis Recovery Café formally known as Aunty's café. A collaboration with Balance Aotearoa, the café is a warm and welcoming space where whanau experiencing distress can find companionship, calm and culturally safe support.
This role does not involve clinical interventions or record-keeping. Instead, you’ll be a steady presence in the café, helping guests feel seen, heard, and supported. When significant risk arises that cannot be safely managed within the café, you’ll facilitate escalation to appropriate services such as Te Oranganui clinical staff, Te Whatu Ora Whanganui’s Mental Health Assessment and Home Treatment Team (MHAHT), or emergency services.
Person specification:
You bring your own lived experience of mental distress, recovery, or trauma, and a deep commitment to supporting others through similar journeys. You’re grounded in tikanga Māori and passionate about creating safe, inclusive spaces for healing. You are available to work evenings from Wednesday to Sunday 3pm - 9pm on rostered shifts.
You’ll have:
- Hold a level 4 NZ Certificate in Health and Wellbeing or similar and/or
- Lived experience relevant to the role
- Strong understanding of peer support principles
- Knowledge of kaupapa Māori approaches to wellbeing
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to remain calm and present in high-stress situations
- Confidence in navigating support pathways and escalation protocols
