Live and Work in Northland New Zealand

Join Northland’s healthcare workforce

We are actively seeking interest from community healthcare professionals who want to live and work in Northland, New Zealand, to support our rapidly growing population. As Northland’s primary health entity, Mahitahi Hauora does not directly recruit general practice healthcare professionals, but we are here to guide you through the process and put you in touch with practices who have current vacancies. We have helped a number of general practitioners emigrate from the UK, Netherlands, and the USA, to enjoy the lifestyle and variety of practicing scope that Northland has to offer.

We will help you to develop relationships and find you the right practice to work with, and ensure you are well supported during your time in Northland. We will also assist with collegial support, education, Treaty of Waitangi and cultural training, and ensure a supervisor is actively involved to support you.

Check out these videos of international GPs working in Northland.

Northland has so much offer!

  • A very relaxed lifestyle, with very friendly and welcoming colleagues and communities
  • A great climate (we do often have four seasons in one day, but it’s warm, often tropical in the summer, and never below zero in the winter)
  • Affordable housing (you can choose from a house or apartment in the city or a small farm or lifestyle block in the country)
  • Opportunities for those who dream of a lifestyle block of land, a few pets, a little backyard farm, plenty of fertile soil
  • Geographical safety – in Northland we aren’t prone to earthquakes or major floods
  • Our ‘end of New Zealand’ location means we can isolate and protect our community from pandemics more easily
  • Plenty of outdoor activity, beautiful beaches and coastlines, stunning walks, water sports, cultural interests plus more!
  • Close proximity to an international airport in Auckland (just a 2-3 hour drive away)
  • Fair remuneration that is comparable to the rest of New Zealand
  • A genuine cultural experience, with one of New Zealand’s largest Māori populations

Vacancies to suit everyone

There is an option to suit everyone, from short- and long-term locum work, to being a salaried GP and, in some practices, having the ability to buy into a practice. Choose from either an urban or rural practice, with a huge variety of presentations on any given day. Northland offers the opportunity to practice medicine across a wide range of complex health conditions. This provides a great experience, offering a variety of challenges and opportunities in your work and the ability to extend yourself and your skills. Practicing in primary care in Northland offers:

  • The choice of urban or rural practice
  • The chance to experience true ‘general’ practice
  • Challenging and diverse presentations, giving you the ability to extend yourself and your skills
  • Flexible working hours to suit your family and lifestyle
  • Professional development and mentoring support
  • Broad population of children/youth and elderly
  • True rural practices, with occasional on-call or after hours work and home visits.

Keen to find out more?

If you are seriously considering making a move to live in New Zealand and you meet the New Zealand Medical Council requirements to practice in New Zealand, contact us for a list of practices that have current vacancies. As well as an introduction about yourself, we would also like to see your CV, with details of your practicing history, where you trained and your current qualifications and registrations.

Other support and resources