Puāwaitanga means to blossom, to flourish, to break through, and is a phone and video-based service to support people to improve their emotional wellbeing – their hauora. 

The Puāwaitanga service was developed as we recognised a need to provide support to those who may have barriers to attending traditional face to face counselling services.  In December 2016, we launched a pilot for people living rurally in Canterbury who after a referral from their GP, received up to six free counselling sessions.  In 2018, we worked with service users to co-design the service and establish a model that was accessible, flexible and reliable.  This focus group of service users gifted us the name Puāwaitanga and helped us to create the Puāwaitanga model through a Te Ao Māori lens.

Today we partner with various organisations including DHBs, PHOs, the Ministry of Social Development and tertiary education providers to offer brief intervention counselling support through virtual means.

How Puāwaitanga works

• Puāwaitanga has partnered with organisations throughout Aotearoa to offer brief intervention counselling support virtually
• Clients are encouraged to choose from our team of clinicians who they would most like to work alongside
• Sessions are offered Monday – Sunday between 9am and 9pm
• Clients can speak to counsellors about any issues, some of which might be low mood, anxiety, grief, addictions, relationship issues and low self-esteem
• The client and counsellor will work together to identify main concerns and a pathway to increase wellbeing. This is typically completed over five sessions with some flexibility to ensure the client's needs are met.

For you, this is a great opportunity to:

• Be a part of a growing service with a dedication to supporting people to enhance their wellbeing
• Provide brief intervention counselling to a diverse range of people located across Aotearoa
• Work from home to deliver counselling sessions via phone call and video
• Professional development opportunities, a supportive team environment and pro rata contributions to external supervision and annual registration with professional body.
• Permanent position with flexibility for between 20 - 40 hours per week on days that suit you on a set schedule
• Competitive hourly rate with penal rates for any weekend work.
• There would be a requirement to work at least one week day evening shift of four hours duration (17:00-21:00)     

Pehea koe | About you

• Completed qualifications in a relevant field and full registration with a professional body (e.g. DAPAANZ, NZAC, SWRB or similar)
• A minimum of 3+ years’ experience working therapeutically in a counselling environment
• A strong understanding of mental health and addiction concerns with particular understanding of mental health needs of Māori and Pasifika communities in Aotearoa
• Sound risk assessment skills
• Experience in delivering therapy using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and/or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is preferred
• The ability to speak Te Reo, Tongan, Samoan, Cantonese or other languages would be highly advantageous (to a degree of fluency sufficient to hold sessions with clients)

Ko wai hoki | About us

Whakarongorau Aotearoa has the privilege of running free to the public, virtual health, mental health and social services for the people of Aotearoa.

Our 12 clinical teams and support services are based across contact centres in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and from their homes across Aotearoa.

We want to give everyone in Aotearoa the opportunity for wellness. We focus on the connected world of digital care, where we can help join all the dots, and select the right services, advice, support and help for the right need.

Through our 30+ services we connected with over 950,000 people last year (to 30 June 2021).

We use our healthy imagination to solve big problems by understanding the tiny ways that people are blocked from getting the care they deserve. Our imagination comes from our people and our partners and their drive to never give up.

Ō tātou uara | Our values

Our values underpin all we do, and how we do it. We are looking for people who align naturally with these values and will champion them:

• Mahia te mea tika | Do the right thing
• Hihiri e te kounga | Motivated by quality
• Ngākau nui ki te pai ake | Passion for better
• Pokohiwi ki Pokohiwi | Shoulder to shoulder

To tatou tikanga | Our culture

Our staff are passionate people, each driven to contribute to better health outcomes, with a focus on high priority populations. We are focused on hiring kaimahi who live and work in the communities they serve.

Whakarongorau Aotearoa’s commitment to understanding and improving mana taurite (equal status) starts with the understanding of self and how we, as health professionals, think and behave each minute of each day to serve the health needs for Aotearoa.

To ensure we are as connected and as engaged as we can be with the people we help, nearly 20% of our workforce identify as Māori and 22% as Pasifika.