Occupational Therapy

Salary

Occupational Therapists employed by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora are covered by a two-tier salary scale:

Occupational Therapists (Steps 1–8):

• Salaries progress annually and range approximately from NZ$ 67,000 to NZ$ 86,000.

Designated or Advanced Occupational Therapists (Steps 9–17):

• This applies to roles such as Advanced Clinicians, Team Leaders, or Professional/Clinical Leads. Salaries range from approximately NZ$ 83,500 to NZ$ 119,000.

All step progressions are subject to satisfactory performance.

Allowances

Occupational Therapists are entitled to the following provisions:

• Overtime: Time-and-a-half (T1.5) for the first three hours and double time (T2) thereafter.

• Penal rates: Apply for work on weekends, nights and public holidays.

• Night rates: An additional 25% for hours worked between 8:00 pm and midnight.

• On-call and call-back allowances: Paid when staff are required to be available outside of normal hours.

Leave entitlements

• Annual leave: 4 weeks of paid leave per year, increasing to 5 weeks after 5 years’ service.

• Shift leave: An additional 5 days’ leave per year after 12 months of shift work.

• Sick leave: A minimum of 10 days’ paid sick leave per annum.

• Parental leave: Up to 14 weeks of paid parental leave, with extended unpaid leave based on service.

• Public holidays: 12 paid public holidays per year. If rostered to work, time and a half applies, plus an alternative day off.

Benefits

• Reimbursement of your Professional Registration costs and fees.

• Health NZ covers your professional indemnity insurance.

• Support with your Continuing Professional Development.

• If eligible, a minimum of a 3% superannuation contribution from Health New Zealand as your employer. Find out more here.

Collective agreement

Occupational Therapists working at Te Whatu Ora are employed under the terms of the Occupational Therapists Multi-Employer Collective Agreement (MECA) between Health New Zealand and APEX.

This agreement outlines pay, conditions and entitlements and is available on the Health New Zealand website.

Career development opportunities

• Access to internal educational courses and support for Continuous Professional Development

• Coaching, mentoring and achieving learning outcomes for all staff.

Roles & responsibilities

Occupational Therapists play a vital role in supporting patients to overcome physical, cognitive and environmental challenges that affect their daily functioning. Their responsibilities may include:

• Evaluating patients’ needs across physical, cognitive and environmental domains to identify barriers to independence and participation.

• Designing and implementing personalised interventions aimed at restoring skills and promoting autonomy.

• Leading rehabilitation programmes to support recovery from injury, illness or trauma.

• Supporting patients’ mental health by teaching coping strategies to manage stress, anxiety and trauma.

• Educating patients and their caregivers on self-care techniques and prevention strategies.

• Collaborating closely with doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to deliver holistic, patient-centred care.

Clinical settings

Occupational Therapy practice varies depending on the clinical setting. Our services cover a broad range of environments, including:

• Inpatient hospital care, including Emergency Department (ED) and Intensive Care

• Paediatrics

• Neurosciences

• Stroke rehabilitation

• Trauma and orthopaedics

• Hand therapy

• Burns and plastics

• Older persons’ health

• Community-based rehabilitation services

• Vocational rehabilitation

• Mental health services

Additional responsibilities may include:

• Applying an understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) and incorporating its principles into practice.

• Engaging with local communities to improve health outcomes and equity.

• Assessing and enabling patients at various stages of their health journey.

• Working effectively with patients from diverse social and cultural backgrounds, collaborating with whānau (family) and the wider multidisciplinary team to achieve the best outcomes.

• Identifying opportunities for service improvement and contributing actively to quality initiatives.

Occupational Therapy Qualification

To practice as an Occupational Therapist in New Zealand, you must hold an approved qualification. Common pathways include:

• A Bachelor of Occupational Therapy or an equivalent qualification from a recognised New Zealand institution, such as Otago Polytechnic or Wintec.

• An overseas qualification assessed by the Occupational Therapy Board of New Zealand (OTBNZ) as meeting New Zealand standards.

Registration with the OTBNZ

All Occupational Therapists must be registered with the Occupational Therapy Board of New Zealand to practice legally. Registration requires submitting:

• Proof of your qualifications

• Personal identification

• Evidence of fitness to practise

Annual Practising Certificate (APC)

To maintain your ability to practise, you must hold a valid Annual Practising Certificate (APC), renewed each year. Requirements to maintain an APC include:

• Providing evidence of ongoing competence

• Demonstrating active participation in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities

Helpful resources

• Occupational Therapy New Zealand

• Therapy Professionals Ltd