Residential Support Worker

The Hōhepa community supports people with intellectual disabilities. Being a part of Hōhepa is being a part of a whānau. Our staff work alongside the people we support as they journey to live their life to the fullest.

Why work for Hōhepa?

At Hōhepa we value our staff and understand that our people want to grow and develop in their careers. Our work environment is supportive, with access to a range of training programmes - we are proud to employ and train the best people in all areas of our organisation. We are committed to continuous learning and supporting a career pathway with opportunities within our organisation, and the wider disability sector. As a Residential Support Worker, you will be at the forefront in leading social change.

With recent increase in demand for our services, we seek 25 people for permanent Residential Support Worker roles for people with intellectual disabilities in Hawke’s Bay (Napier and Clive). As a Residential Support Worker, you will work alongside our people to provide day-to-day support. You will play a crucial role in their daily lives, ensuring their well-being and development. If successful, you will be offered a full-time role, with specified hours of work between 30 hours (minimum) and 40 hours (maximum) each week. We are a 24/7 operation – you would be rostered to work 5 days per week, likely to include weekend days, with 5 days of work and two consecutive days off. Our shift patterns include morning, evening, overnight (awake) and split shifts. The wage for this position will be between $24.83 and $31.06 per hour, depending on your qualifications, training and experience.

A key requirement of this role will involve transporting our people, we are looking for someone who holds a full New Zealand drivers’ licence or is eligible to obtain one.

Nga taonga kei roto I tou kete matauranga | What you bring:

The people we support have intellectual disabilities and a range of other challenges. This role can be challenging but also highly rewarding, as you journey alongside people to support their development. You will have to use all your skills and ingenuity to help them contribute, participate and work towards independence. As a Residential Support Worker, you will have responsibilities for:

• Supporting people during daily activities, to assist them to develop independence.
• Nutrition and food preparation.
• Personal cares such as hygiene, dressing.
• Supporting people on outings and social activities.
• Household tasks, alongside people we support (cleaning, laundry etc).
• Communication with the people you support (which may involve using Makaton, pictures and reading body language) and their whānau and advocates.

To be effective in the role you will:

• Be able to display empathy and respect.
• Have skills in problem solving, as you support people to achieve their goals.
• Have great communication skills, in person and in writing (including ability to keep accurate records and observations).
• Be able to maximise the independence of our people, encouraging healthy choices and participation in activities.
• Be trustworthy with high ethical standards, able to respect confidentiality and privacy.
• Have a mature attitude and good interpersonal skills; this includes being practical and ‘down to earth' about the nature of the role, and being able to work with people who may have high support needs and behaviour which can be challenging.
• Be drug free, and able to meet background check requirements (references, police vetting report and Children’s Safety check ‘NGOCV check’ – for roles working with Tamariki).
  

This is a skilled position. To be eligible to apply you need to meet one of the following requirements:

Qualifications and Experience:

To be considered for this role you must meet one of the following requirements:

• Hold a New Zealand qualification, at Level 2 or above, in a relevant subject
• Hold an equivalent overseas qualification in a relevant subject

(Relevant subjects include health and wellbeing, disability, education, nursing, psychology, social work, sport science, or similar)

• Hold a Bachelors degree (or above) from New Zealand or another country; this can be in any subject
• Have at least one year of relevant experience
  

Curious? want to know more? Contact our Recruitment Manager at Recruit@hohepa.com or at +64272654697 

Please note that the 90-day trial period may apply to any successful applicant who hasn’t previously worked for Hohepa Hawke’s Bay. Closing date for this role is the 30th of November 2025.

Applications submitted with the use of AI or Translation Technology will be rejected.