Work with us
We need the right people to join our team which is working to deliver better outcomes for disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, their families and whānau.
Working at Whaikaha
We are an inclusive, flexible workplace and are open to candidates who would like different working hours or locations in their role.
We also have a reasonable accommodation in employment policy so that our people can get the necessary workplace adjustments they need to do their job.
This video shows how we support disabled staff in their roles.
Video transcript
If we want more disabled people in the workplace, this is a really important thing to get right.
Disabled people need to be able to trust the fact that when they come into an environment that actually their basic needs are going to be met.
When I joined Whaikaha, the process of joining was really easy.
Everything was set out ready to go when I arrived.
I was approached immediately asking about any accessibility needs, comfort.
My manager asked me what kind of flexible working arrangement I'd like.
Not every organisation is like Whaikaha where we're so open and we're trying our best to say yes to things.
Some organisations are a little bit more hesitant, or don't have those stances.
And so actually it's about encouraging our people to go, oh yes, let's actually try something, I need to make a request, and this is how it works for me.
And it was just about getting from where people may have had a past where they’d gone through a no, into actually “we want to say yes here”.
I had a big gap before starting to work here.
I found that when I attended an interview, if I got to the interview stage there would be an assumption made about me by looking at me when I arrived, because I had physical disabilities, and often they'd say, this might be too difficult for you.
Whereas I knew it wasn't really for me.
So in terms of how Whaikaha looks at and has worked through reasonable accommodation, we've been on our own journey for what works.
We took an approach where we engaged with our people to understand the range of reasonable accommodations that people needed.
We found the easiest thing to do was just to ask.
Some of the quicker adjustments that I might have seen would simply be around having an anchor desk at the office.
So some people don't always enjoy loud spaces, there's certain lighting that might not work in the workplace, and so it's just having “actually there's a spot over there that works really well for me.
Can I sit there permanently?” It's a leader's role to kind of set the tone for what reasonable accommodation looks like in the workplace.
And so a lot of our work has been leader led.
Our leaders talk about the accommodations that they need, and they model that with their own people.
We've had pretty good reactions to the policy in terms of feedback.
A lot of people were really on board and the concept people understand.
Coming to work at Whaikaha has had an enormous impact.
It's actually been a life changing thing for me.
Beyond having a job and earning a paycheck, I've made friends, I come in on the train feeling quite proud with all the commuters.
I mean, I didn't have any of that.
I think why an organisation should consider reasonable accommodations, It's about bringing diverse range of thought into your organisation.
And actually, it's not just about whether or not somebody is disabled.
This can be about what works best for your workforce, and it's about showing that you actually want the best out of your people.
Create a space where a conversation can be had.
Think about your own experiences.
Let your people, and particularly your disabled people, tell you what is going to work best for them, because they actually know that.
Applying for roles
Some roles may be advertised with part-time hours but if you see any role that comes up that match your skills, even if it is full-time, we encourage you to apply and tell us about the flexibility you require.
If you have a specific query or accommodation request for our recruitment team, please email PeopleandCulture@whaikaha.govt.nz
At the moment, the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and external job websites host our recruitment advertisements.
If for any reason you cannot use these sites, please contact us and we will send you information about roles you are interested in: Contact us
Current vacancies
Senior Advisor, NZSL
We have 2 Senior Advisor positions in our New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) team available:
1 x fixed term until 30 June 2027
1 x permanent
As Senior Advisor NZSL, you will help strengthen the NZSL team’s capability to work effectively with government agencies and support implementation of the New Zealand Sign Language Strategy.
Position description Senior Advisor, NZSL (PDF 410KB)
- Location: Wellington
- Salary: $103,767 - $125,899
- Closing date: Sunday, 2 August 2026
Apply for Senior Advisor, NZSL on the MSD website external URL