Description

Health New Zealand - Whanganui has an exciting opportunity for a permanent full-time Emergency Medicine Consultant commencing from May/June 2026. There is flexibility around the start date/month.

In this position, you will play a vital role in the wider Emergency Department’s clinical team, focusing on the provision of clinical diagnosis and treatment in an acute setting. You will participate in meetings, teaching junior staff and meet your training requirements along with maintaining personal education and research.  

You will be participating in a revolving roster which is based on an average job size of 40 hours per week, spread over a six-week roster cycle. This includes a non-clinical component of 30% of your workload focused on non-patient facing aspects of the role, as per the collective agreement. Whanganui ED shifts are:

Early: 0730 to 1530 

Mid: 1100 to 1900

Late: 1600 to 2400 and on-call from 2400 to 0730

About the Team/Service/ Location

Whanganui Hospital is located on the West coast of New Zealand's North Island with a wide range of services including emergency medicine, general medicine, general surgery, orthopaedics, O&G, ENT, ophthalmology, dentistry and psychiatry. We serve a population of approximately 65,000 residents and serves as a central hub for the 16,000 people residing in the surrounding districts across the region. 

The Whanganui Hospital Emergency Department has a team 9 Consultants/SMOs and 12 RMOs/junior doctors, out of which 3 are ED Registrars; plus ED nursing staff, supported by an excellent multidisciplinary team across the hospital. The RMOs work a 10-hour shifts starting at 0700, 1000, 1400 and 2200 each day. The team values a collegial and inclusive culture, strong inter-departmental relationships, and a commitment to continued quality improvement and excellent patient care. We provide a six-bed critical care unit with tertiary support from Wellington Hospital. Tertiary services such as cardio-thoracics, neurosurgery, paediatric surgery and cardiology are provided for our patients in Wellington.

Your move to Whanganui will allow you to experience a vast range of sights and entertainment in our region. It offers easily accessible mountains for skiing or hiking, lakes for fishing and boating, as well as beaches for surfing and quiet walks. The year-round temperate climate allows you to make the most of this healthy family-focused lifestyle. Whanganui also boasts an exciting arts community and facilities, a mix of local and travelling music talent, educational and sporting opportunities for all ages, historical buildings and culture. Living in Whanganui, you will be two-and-half hours' drive away from our capital city, Wellington or a 1-hour scenic flight to Auckland.

This excellent work / lifestyle balance for you and your family is further supported by a high quality of education at primary and secondary level, offered through both public and private schools.

For more information on living and working in Whanganui click here

How to Apply

You can apply for this role via our website here.  All applications must be submitted through our online careers’ portal by 31 August 2026. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Honey Pillai, Senior Recruitment & Operations - SMO at [email protected]

Requirements

To be successful, you must hold or be eligible for Vocational Registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand. Applicants must be eligible to work in New Zealand. If you are an overseas qualified candidate, you can check your MCNZ registration eligibility and registration pathway here.

If you are an overseas applicant and have overseas medical qualifications, you will be required to provide EPIC source verification of your qualifications for your registration application. For more information about the registration process and source verification of qualifications, please visit www.mcnz.org.nz

Other requirements for the role include: 

•         FACEM (Fellowship-Australasian College for Emergency Medicine) or equivalent overseas Specialist qualification 
•         Collaborative leadership skills