Vacancies On Health and Disability Ethics Committees

The Ministry of Health – Manatū Hauora (the Ministry) is seeking candidates who wish to be considered for appointment as lay AND non-lay members on the Health and Disability Ethics Committee (HDECs). The HDECs are established under section 87 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 (the Act) and are responsible for reviewing health and disability research applications to ensure they meet or exceed established ethical standards. There are four HDECs that each meet once a month. Candidates can apply for any of the HDECs, regardless of location, as all HDEC meetings are held online.

About the role | Kōrero mō te tūranga

Being a member of an HDEC is rewarding and challenging. You will be committed to improving the health of New Zealanders, through ensuring that health and disability research meets the appropriate ethical standards.

You will need to have computer access and be familiar with working on a computer, as applications are lodged, assigned and viewed online. Strong internet connections are necessary as committee meetings are undertaken via video conferencing.

The successful candidates will need to be available for a full-day committee meeting one Tuesday a month, on a rolling basis. Generally, committee members should expect to spend one additional day preparing for a meeting and another day attending the meeting. Committee members are paid a daily rate for both the meetings and preparation. For new members training will be provided and be planned for a time when the new members are able to attend. 

It is preferred that members will be able to undertake work between meetings to review lower risk applications and post-meeting approval items such as progress reports or amendments. This additional work is paid not mandatory, but the ideal candidate would be able to support the work of the HDECs between the regular monthly meetings.

The 2026 dates for committee meetings are available online. You can view the terms of reference for each of the four HDECs here: About the HDECs | Health and Disability Ethics Committees

The Ministry recognises that diversity enables our boards and councils to be high-performing and is committed to ensuring they represent the diversity in New Zealand's population, including gender, ethnicity, disability, age and geographic location. The Ministry encourages people from all backgrounds, especially those who can reflect the needs, values, and beliefs of Māori, and have an understanding of and are committed to meeting the obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi, to apply for these roles.

About you | Kōrero mōu

In this instance we are seeking candidates to fill a number of non-lay and lay member roles. Ideal candidates would have one or more of the following skills and attributes for the HDEC member roles:

• Clinical/ medical experience/ health practitioner
• Experience conducting health and disability research/ clinical trials/ drug development  
• Experience designing/ developing/ using medical devices and other emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence
• Kaupapa Māori research methodology 
• Pacific research methodologies
• Medico-legal expertise 
• Experience with mental health 
• Experience with paediatrics/conducting research with children
• Experience with disability research 
• Lived experience of any of the above or being a previous participant in clinical research 

Candidates will benefit from having an understanding of health and disability research, and an interest in improving the health outcomes from all New Zealanders.

To qualify for the lay member position, you must not:

• have been registered as a health practitioner in the last five years
• is not involved in conducting health or disability research, or employed by an organisation whose primary purpose relates to health and disability research.

How to apply | Me pēhea te tono

Applications must be made using the Ministry of Health online Career Centre by close of business on 11 June 2026 and include:

• a covering letter, and
• a current CV.

Due diligence checks will be undertaken for shortlisted applicants. Your personal information will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020. The Ministry may also request that the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service conduct national security screening of you as part of the appointment process.

The appointment process can be lengthy, taking up to six months. Your patience and professionalism as we work through the next steps is appreciated. The outcome of the recruitment process for the Board will be confirmed after it has been considered by the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee.

Who we are | Ko wai mātou

See the Ministry of Health Board appointments webpage for more information.

If you would like to obtain further information or clarification, or if your circumstances change or should you wish to withdraw your application, please contact the Statutory Appointments and Integrity Services team by emailing: appointments@health.govt.nz