Healthy Waters Specialist

Auckland Council

  • Auckland
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 1 day ago
  • Enable positive environmental outcomes to our water biodiversity and quality
  • Support planting and restoration programmes
  • Join a supportive and passionate team
He angitūtanga: The opportunityAuckland Council's Healthy Waters department has an opportunity for a Healthy Waters Specialist to join us within the Wai Ora Urban Partnerships team.Healthy Waters Specialists support the development of the urban and rural portions of the community-led flood resilience programme, which includes guiding and supporting the organisations already working in this space with Healthy Waters in the urban areas and helping to develop initiatives in rural communities.In this role, you'll support the delivery of Healthy Waters planting and restoration programmes, including managing planting contracts and supporting the development and delivery of restoration plans. This supports both the delivery of community led projects and also larger, civil works projects.You will also play a key role in:
  • Conducting audits of planting projects and reporting on compliance with resource consents
  • Supporting procurement and contract management, ensuring plant supply, planting, and maintenance contracts meet council standards
  • Undertaking nursery audits and site inspections to ensure plant quality (including Plant Pass compliance)
  • Preparing planting completion reports for consenting purposes
  • Providing technical advice on riparian and restoration planting plans, including smaller to medium-scale projects
  • Supporting our delivery teams and other Healthy Waters staff to deliver planting programmes that meet compliance and ecological best practice
  • Assisting with community and school planting days and engaging with mana whenua and local groups to build strong partnerships in the delivery of planting and restoration outcomes
He kōrero mōu: About youWe're looking for a candidate with excellent communication skills and ecological knowledge, particularly of native plants, planting techniques, and restoration ecology. We'd like to see experience in auditing planting projects and preparing completion reports to ensure compliance with consent conditions. A background in environmental or resource management, participatory research, social science, or Māori studies is highly valued, alongside at least five years' experience in community engagement, project delivery, and stakeholder management. Project management experience, together with a sound understanding of water-sensitive design, riparian restoration, and green infrastructure, will also be important in this role.We are particularly looking someone to bring:
  • Understanding of contaminant load generation and its impact on receiving environments from freshwater to coastal margins
  • Confidence to engage with contractors on quality, specifications, and contract delivery
  • Strong interpersonal skills to engage with mana whenua, schools, and community groups
  • Willingness to participate in community planting days and education activities
  • An eye for detail and the ability to stand by ecological and consent standards in practical, on-the-ground situations
Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou: What we offerAuckland Council is the largest local government council across Oceania, serving over 1.7 million people and contributing towards making Tāmaki Makaurau a world-class city.We offer a range of employee benefits and proudly support flexible working options where possible. View a snapshot of some of our employee benefitsHelp us make a difference to Tāmaki Makaurau.You can find the position descriptionA full and valid New Zealand driver's licence is required.Applications close Thursday, 25th September 2025Auckland Council is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and we are committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application to assist you through the recruitment process.

Auckland Council