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Critical Care teams

Critical Care is the specialist care given to patients with sudden life-threatening illness or injury, usually following an accident, operation, or infection.

Care is divided into 2 areas, Intensive Care Units (ICU), and High Dependency Units (HDU), until patients are well enough to return to general wards for further care from our wider teams.

Join our critical care teams in Aotearoa New Zealand for the opportunity of a lifetime.

Critical care in New Zealand

Now is the time to join New Zealand's critical care workforce

New Zealand offers a unique and varied experience for critical care professionals across its 26 specialised units nationwide. From managing complex trauma cases in Waikato to providing essential care for tamariki in the National Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Starship, critical care in New Zealand offers diverse opportunities to grow your skills and make a real impact on patient outcomes.

World-class critical care facilities

Across the country, you will find opportunities to work in hospitals that range from large tertiary centres like Christchurch and Wellington hospitals to smaller regional units in Whanganui, Palmerston North, and Tairāwhiti Gisborne. Each setting presents its own challenges, opportunities for professional development, and close-knit team dynamics.

While Auckland provides leading-edge facilities like the 26-bed Department of Critical Care Medicine (DCCM), the Cardiothoracic and Vascular ICU (CVICU), and the renowned Starship Children's Hospital PICU, these units provide specialised care and complex treatments. With both national and regional patients relying on these services, Auckland is a hub for high-acuity, intensive care.

Collaborative, patient-centred care

Our teams value collaboration and are committed to providing patient and whānau (family)-centred care. Interdisciplinary teamwork is at the heart of our healthcare system, ensuring patients receive the best possible care. Working here means being part of a supportive, innovative community of professionals dedicated to continuous improvement and excellence in care.

A focus on professional growth

New Zealand’s healthcare system encourages both personal and professional development. With a strong emphasis on ongoing education and skill enhancement, critical care workers here have ample opportunities to grow in their careers. Whether you are building expertise in a specialised field or looking to experience a variety of settings, New Zealand provides a pathway to expand your skills while contributing to the nation’s healthcare system.

Experience a rewarding and diverse opportunity

From providing care in a bustling urban hospital to serving patients in more remote locations like the West Coast or Southland, working in New Zealand offers a rewarding balance of professional challenge and personal fulfilment. You’ll be part of a health system renowned for its innovation, excellence, and inclusivity, while also enjoying the stunning natural beauty, rich culture, and lifestyle New Zealand has to offer.

"I love Nursing in New Zealand, it’s a real privilege to work here with a great team'"

"I think Aotearoa is an amazing place with great people and I wouldn't live anywhere else. It's beautiful, it's safe and I can send my children to school without any fear."

Alicia
Critical Care Nurse

"I love Nursing in New Zealand, it’s a real privilege to work here with a great team'"

"I think Aotearoa is an amazing place with great people and I wouldn't live anywhere else. It's beautiful, it's safe and I can send my children to school without any fear."

Alicia
Critical Care Nurse

Join our Critical Care teams

We are recruiting for roles throughout the country.

As a critical care professional, you can grow your skills in world-class facilities. New Zealand's healthcare system emphasises collaboration, patient-centred care, and ongoing professional development, offering opportunities for you to work in settings from large tertiary hospitals to smaller regional units.

With locations to suit your lifestyle in bustling cities or remote areas, you will enjoy a fulfilling career while enjoying a balance of New Zealand’s stunning landscapes, rich culture, and quality of life.

You may be classed as a critical care worker in New Zealand if you work in one of the following units.

  • Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
  • Coronary Care Unit (CCU).
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
  • Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PIC).
  • Intensive Treatment Unit/Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU).

Find more information about each workforce below.

Critical Care Specialists (Intensivists)

Learn more about Specialist careers with us

Critical Care Nurses

Learn more about Nursing careers with us

Pharmacists

Learn more about Pharmacy careers with us

Physiotherapists

Learn more about Physiotherapy careers with us

Dieticians

Register your interest for a role

Speech Language Therapists

Register your interest for a role

Critical care locations in New Zealand

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) levels

ICU levels are defined by the College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM) based on the hospital’s role and available services.

  • Level 3 — A tertiary referral ICU providing comprehensive care for critically ill patients.
  • Level 2 — Provides high-standard general intensive care, including complex life support, mechanical ventilation, and renal replacement therapy.
  • Level 1 — Found in smaller or rural hospitals, offering limited specialist services.

Models of ICU care

Models of care in intensive care units describe how clinical responsibility is managed and which team leads the decision-making for patients admitted to the ICU.

  • Open unit — The patient’s primary medical or surgical team retains responsibility for care.
  • Closed unit — A specialist critical care team assumes responsibility, including admission decisions, in a collaborative model.
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Whangārei Hospital

Level 2 — Closed-collaborative operating model.

  • 246 patient beds.
  • Supports peripheral hospitals located at Kaitaia, Dargaville and Kawakawa.
Critical care unit
  • 8-bed ICU and HDU.
  • 500 to 600 patients per annum, 20% are paediatric.

North Shore Hospital

Level 2 — Closed-collaborative operating model.

  • 663 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 14-bed ICU and HDU.

Waitākere hospital

Level 2.

  • 283 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 6-bed ICU under construction.

Auckland Hospital

Level 3 — Closed-collaborative operating model.

Auckland Hospital has 3 ICUs, all using a closed-collaborative operating model, with a total of 1171 patient beds, including 219 beds in Starship Children’s Hospital.

The Department of Critical Care Medicine (DCCM)
  • 26-bed ICU and HDU.
  • Including liver, kidney and pancreas transplantation and neurological conditions.
The Cardiothoracic and Vascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU)
  • 26-bed ICU and HDU.
  • For all conditions related to heart, lung and blood vessel surgery.
  • Provides national Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO).
Starship Children’s Hospital Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
  • 219 patient beds.
  • 29-bed ICU and HDU.
  • 1,200 children per year.

Middlemore Hospital

Level 3 — Closed-collaborative operating model 

  • 905 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 25-bed ICU and HDU.
  • 1,400 patients per year — 85% are acute admissions.
  • National Burns ICU.

Tauranga Hospital

Level 2 — Closed operating model.

  • Total of 349 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 6 ICU beds.
  • 4 HDU beds.

Whakatāne Hospital

Level 1 — Open operating model.

  • Total of 160 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 2 ICU beds.
  • 2 HDU beds.

Waikato Hospital

Level 3 — mixed model with 2 stand-alone units, 1 closed-collaborative ICU and 1 open HDU/HAA.

  • Tertiary teaching hospital.
  • Major trauma centre.
  • 759 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 16 ICU beds — closed.
  • 12 HDU beds — open.
  • 3,390 patients per year.
  • Provides a medical transport service, using helicopter, fixed wing and land transport.

Gisborne Hospital

Level 2 — Open operating model.

  • 115 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 3-bed ICU.

Rotorua Hospital

Level 2 — Open operating model.

  • 186 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 7-bed ICU.
  • Supports Taupō Hospital.

Taranaki Base Hospital

Level 2 — Open operating model.

  • 194 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 6 ICU beds.
  • 7 HDU beds.
  • Supports Hāwera Hospital.

Hawkes Bay Hospital

Level 2 — Closed-collaborative operating model.

  • 364 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 13-bed ICU and HDU.

Whanganui Hospital

Level 1 — Open operating model.

  • 138 patient beds.

Critical care unit:

  • Combined HDU and CCU co-located with the Emergency Department.
  • 3 HDU beds in a combined unit and a further 2 HDU beds in the surgical ward.
  • More intensive patients are transferred to the Level 2 or 3 unit.
  • Flight team for patient transfers.

Palmerston North Hospital

Level 2 — Closed-collaborative operating model.

  • 354 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 7-bed ICU and HDU.
  • 500 patients per year.

Masterton Hospital

Level 1 — Open operating model.

  • 89 beds.
Critical care unit
  • 6-bed HDU collocated with Emergency Department.
  • More intensive patients are transferred to a Level 2 or 3 unit.

Wellington Regional Hospital

Level 3 — Closed-collaborative operating model.

  • Regional tertiary hospital.
  • 484 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 24-bed ICU.
  • 12-bed HDU.
  • 2,000 patients per year.
  • Operates an aeromedical retrieval service, carrying out more than 1,000 missions every year.

Hutt Hospital

Level 2 — Open operating model.

  • 322 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 8-bed ICU providing secondary ICU.
  • Tertiary burns care for the region, admitting over 700 patients each year.

Nelson Hospital

Level 2 - Closed-collaborative operating model.

  • 140 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 8-bed ICU and HDU.

Wairau Hospital

Level 1 - Open operating model.

  • 65 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 4-bed HDU.

Grey Hospital

Level 1 — Open operating model

  • 56 beds.
Critical care unit
  • 4-bed HDU.
  • More intensive patients are transferred to a Level 2 or 3 unit.

Grey Hospital

Level 1 — Open operating model

  • 56 beds.
Critical care unit
  • 4-bed HDU.
  • More intensive patients are transferred to a Level 2 or 3 unit.

Christchurch Hospital

Level 3 — Closed-collaborative operating model.

  • 836 patient beds.
Critical care unit
  • 36-bed ICU.

Timaru hospital

Level 2 — Open operating model.

  • 131 beds.
Critical care unit
  • 8-bed ICU and HDU.

Dunedin Hospital

Level 3 — Closed-collaborative operating model.

  • 398 beds.
Critical care unit
  • 22-bed ICU and HDU.
  • Paediatric and adult.
  • Works closely with Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust for the patient retrieval and transport service.

Invercargill Hospital

Level 2 — Open operating model.

  • 157 beds.
Critical care unit
  • 6-bed ICU and HDU.
Fitzroy Beach, New Plymouth
Taranaki Story
Riverside Lane, Christchurch
ChristchurchNZ
Taupō
LoveTaupō
Hauraki Rail Trail, Waikato
Hamilton Waikato Tourism
Lake Matheson
BareKiwi

Explore our model of care

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Critical care in Aotearoa New Zealand puts the patient at the centre of their care journey.

The team caring for the patient works together to provide a plan for recovery while involving the patient and their whānau wishes in their care plans and incorporating their spiritual as well as physical health needs.

Our patient recovery journey includes input from a fabulous team of people who work in Aotearoa New Zealand. You will require an appropriate registration.

Intensivists — physicians specialising in intensive care, ICU Consultants

Medical Council of New Zealandexternal link

Registrars

Medical Council of New Zealandexternal link

Nurses — Nurse Managers, Senior Nurses, Registered Nurses, Nurse Educators

Nursing Council of New Zealandexternal link

Physiotherapists

Physiotherapy Board of New Zealandexternal link

Pharmacists

Pharmacy Councilexternal link

Speech Therapists

New Zealand Speech‑language Therapists’ Associationexternal link

Nutritionists

Nutrition Society of New Zealandexternal link

Other Services

  • Patient at risk services and Critical care outreach services
  • Chaplaincy and cultural support
  • Social workers
  • Organ donation service

Other names critical care is known as

  • Intensive Treatment Unit or Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU)
  • Coronary Care Unit (CCU)
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
  • Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
  • Intensive Care unit (ICU)

Critical care in Aotearoa New Zealand has a unique requirement to support culturally safe care and integrates Te Tiriti o Waitangi into our practice.

Here in New Zealand we have an open, non-hierarchical team approach to improving outcomes for our critically ill patients' care. This is important for all our disciplines as we focus on delivering equitable care for our communities.

We are linked to Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) where evidenced practice standards are developed, and minimum standards set.

Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Societyexternal link

We are fully engaged in clinical research with units participating in a number of multicentred trials.

You will be working with a group of like-minded people who are focused on the same thing and you will have the opportunity to be part of a community both inside and outside of work.

Critical care in New Zealand has a variety of roles and responsibilities relative to the size and geographical location of the u

Critical care has a number of tasks and responsibilities in New Zealand. Depending on the size and location, our hospitals across the country offer a combination of critical and high dependency care along with dedicated units focused on coronary care and paediatric intensive care.

There is a critical care team focus to work, with all disciplines having a valuable contribution to make to support best outcomes for patients. There are specialist roles which include educational roles, research nursing roles as well as focused allied health roles.

Our units are collaboratively led by both the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) and Nurse Manager leading the vision for the service.

Other helpful links

New Zealand College of Critical Care Nursesexternal link

College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealandexternal link

Green List roles — New Zealand Immigrationexternal link

Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Societyexternal link

Hear from our people

Wendy Berg | Live & Work in Dunedin. NZ

Mount Hutt, Canterbury
Miles Holden

Explore New Zealand

Whether you prefer the vibrant urban centres of Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch, the scenic landscapes of Otago and Nelson, or the close-knit community atmosphere in areas like Hawke's Bay and Taranaki, there’s a location to suit your lifestyle. 

Discover New Zealand

Explore New Zealand

Whether you prefer the vibrant urban centres of Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch, the scenic landscapes of Otago and Nelson, or the close-knit community atmosphere in areas like Hawke's Bay and Taranaki, there’s a location to suit your lifestyle. 

Discover New Zealand

About working at Health New Zealand

Learn more about Health New Zealand as an organisation and employer.

Locations to work in New Zealand

Explore the regions you can live and work in across New Zealand | Aotearoa.

Information for international candidates

Find helpful information on relocating to live and work in New Zealand.
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