AOD Practitioner - Ringa Riwha
Aro ki te Hā AOD Pratictioner
A bout the role
The AOD Practitioner provides high-quality assessment, brief intervention, and ongoing support to whānau seeking help with alcohol and other drug (AOD) concerns. This role is responsible for delivering both 1:1 therapeutic interventions and group-based facilitation, ensuring practice is grounded in trauma-informed care, harm reduction, cultural responsiveness, and recovery-focused approaches.
We value team development and our people's career growth; we will mentor you on your unique journey to do meaningful work in a supportive environment. This role is a great starting point where you can learn on the job and work towards a longer-term career at Auckland Mission.
Duties
- Facilitate AOD-focused groups that support street whānau to learn, grow, and reconnect through recovery-oriented wānanga, harm-reduction education, self-help strategies, cultural reconnection, and therapeutic creative practices.
- Support whānau to identify their strengths, recovery goals, and aspirations, using motivational interviewing, strength-based practice, and culturally safe engagement.
- Demonstrate a lived commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to the Mission’s values of Manaakitanga, Atawhai, Rangapū, Mana Tika and Mana Ōrite, ensuring all AOD practice upholds equity, dignity, and mana for whānau.
- Contribute to the development, monitoring, and implementation of individual AOD care plans and structured group programmes, ensuring they remain responsive, evidence-based, and culturally aligned.
- Provide regular clinical reports, progress summaries, and activity updates to support service monitoring, evaluation, and quality improvement
Skills
- A relevant qualification in Addictions, Mental Health, Social Work, Counselling, Education, or a related field (Level 7 or higher desirable).
- Qualification or equivalent experience in facilitation, training, or programme delivery.
- Understanding of Kaupapa Māori principles, including awareness of culture, power, and how these relate to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
- Experience in community development and engagement, particularly with Māori and other priority communities.
- Full clean New Zealand driver’s licence or working towards getting one.
- Skills, experience and knowledge may also be obtained from a number of different experiences. For example, from paid work, voluntary work, work undertaken within your Church, Marae, or from specific iwi/whānau responsibilities.
Benefits
- 5 x ‘Mission leave’ days, additional to annual and sick leave.
- Access to EAP & external supervision.
- Access to kapahaka, and weekly waiata.
- Ongoing training and development.
- 15% discount at Auckland City Mission Op Shops.
- Access to low cost, farm fresh produce on a weekly basis.
- Close to public transport.
- Discounted parking at SkyCity.
- Career progression opportunities.
About the organisation
Auckland City Mission - Te Tāpui Atawhai supports Aucklanders in greatest need. Our services have evolved as the city’s social needs have changed, and we respond to these needs with care and compassion while advocating for a reality where there are: enough suitable homes, enough money for nutritious food, and easily accessible health care for all. Since our doors opened more than 100 years ago, this has been our ‘why’. Today, we operate across 9 sites in Tāmaki Makaurau. We offer support for however long and in whatever way is needed – for some people, that’s simply accessing one of our many services, for others, it’s a complex journey with our full support.
Over the past 12 months, the Mission has provided 200 people with permanent homes, conducted over 20,000 consultations at the Calder Health Centre in HomeGround, cared for 462 people in our residential social detox facility in HomeGround, distributed almost 50,000 food parcels to families and individuals, and served over 80,000 warm meals in our community dining room, Haeata.
Last year we were proud to win the Nga Āhuatanga o Te Tiriti Tohu (Award), and the
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