Paediatric care in New Zealand
Working in Paediatrics in NZ offers a fulfilling blend of professional challenges and meaningful connections with tamariki and whānau. With our world-class healthcare system and focus on cross-disciplinary, whānau-centred care, we offer opportunities to address a wide range of health conditions in a supportive and collaborative environment.
From addressing common childhood illnesses to managing complex developmental and rare medical conditions, health professionals working in paediatrics play a vital role in shaping the health and well-being of the next generation.
Settings to work in paediatric care
Care for pēpi and tamariki across New Zealand is provided across a variety of settings. These include:
- emergency departments
- paediatric wards
- neonatal intensive care units (NICUs)
- paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) based at Starship National Children's Hospital
- specialist outpatient clinics
- general practices
- community health services.
Join our teams in Paediatrics
We are recruiting for a variety of roles throughout the country to support the care of New Zealand's tamariki.
Our dedicated facility — Starship Children's Hospital
Starship National Children’s Hospital is located in our largest city, Auckland, and is a dedicated specialist hospital for tamariki in New Zealand and the South Pacific.
It provides a wide range of complex medical, surgical, cardiac and mental health services for tamariki and rangatahi. Starship offers inpatient, outpatient, day stay and community settings for treatment.
Starship has the only Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in the South Pacific and is also a major teaching centre in New Zealand for paediatric training and research.
Starship health services
Ward 25, a vibrant and dynamic part of Starship National Children’s Hospital, caters to pēpi, tamariki, and rangatahi with a variety of medical needs. It also houses the regional inpatient eating disorder service, offering focused support to young patients.
The ward handles an array of acute and chronic conditions, providing diverse learning opportunities for healthcare staff in a fast-paced environment.
Specialised care for long-term and complex medical conditions is a cornerstone of Starship National Children’s Hospital. This ward supports tamariki from the neonatal stage to age 16, focusing on renal, gastro, and respiratory needs. It is home to the:
- National Intestinal Failure Service
- Paediatric Haemodialysis
- transplant care for kidney and liver.
Patients also receive expert treatment in sleep medicine and long-term ventilator support, delivered with compassion and expertise.
The Blood and Cancer Centre at Starship provides world-class care for tamariki and rangatahi with cancer and haematological conditions. With 19 inpatient beds and a busy outpatient clinic, the service offers diagnosis, treatment, and long-term follow-up.
Nurses develop expertise in areas such as chemotherapy, monoclonal antibody therapy, and bone marrow transplants, supporting patients through every stage of their journey.
Starship Community is a multidisciplinary team providing nursing, allied health, technical and cultural support to tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau living within the Auckland area.
Complex neurological and metabolic conditions are managed in Starship’s paediatric neuro services, which include:
- Neurosurgery
- Neurology
- Endocrine
- Metabolics
- Developmental Paediatrics.
Ward 26A, featuring 4 intensive observation beds, is at the heart of this care.
Nurses on this ward gain experience in high-acuity cases, delivering specialised care to tamariki with intricate neurological and developmental needs.
Starship National Children’s Hospital’s perioperative unit is equipped to handle a wide range of emergency and elective surgeries. With a pre-operative area, 7 operating rooms, and an 8t-bay post-anaesthetic care unit (PACU), the unit caters to specialties such as:
- cardiac
- orthopaedics
- plastics
- neonatal
- oncology.
The multidisciplinary team works collaboratively to deliver excellent care and outcomes for every patient.
Tamariki with disorders of bones, joints, and muscles receive expert care in this 49-bed surgical ward.
Starship National Children’s Hospital provides treatment for patients requiring:
- general surgery
- ENT
- plastics
- trauma
- orthopaedic procedures.
Stays typically range from 1 to 3 days, but complex cases may require longer hospitalisation.
Nurses develop specialised skills such as tracheostomy and chest drain management, fluid balance monitoring, and enteral feeding.
As New Zealand’s sole provider of congenital cardiac care, Starship National Children’s Hospital offers comprehensive services from foetal diagnosis to adulthood. The unit specialises in treating congenital and acquired heart diseases in infants and children across New Zealand and the Pacific.
Equipped with 22 beds and 4 intensive observation beds, PCCS delivers high-acuity care supported by a skilled multidisciplinary team.
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.
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.