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What we do

From pipes to playgrounds, parks to parking, pools to paintings, and so much more – the range and complexity of what we do is staggering. 

Whether it’s permits or planning, policies or partnerships, the people of Hamilton are our top priority. 

Around 1200 staff across 29 business units and 20 different sites are responsible for keeping our great river city running now, and helping it to thrive in the future. 

We offer a huge range of roles – including zoo keepers, building inspectors, engineers, accountants, gardeners and many more!

But more important is the why and the how of what we do.

Underpinning everything we do is our purpose: to improve the wellbeing of Hamiltonians. 

We look for people who have an open mindset, are always willing to grow and develop, and who ooze our behaviours:

  • Adaptability - Kia urutau.
  • Simplicity - Kia ngaawari.
  • Inclusiveness - Kotahitanga.
  • Guardianship - Kaitiakitanga.
  • Ambition - Kia manawanui.

Some benefits we offer

  • Community day - an extra day off each year to help a recognised community organisation.
  • Wellbeing day - an extra day off each year to spend with family.
  • Flexible working hours - we want staff to have a good work-life balance, and many roles have flexible working hours.
  • Flu jabs - free for all staff.
  • Medical insurance - eligibility for discounted health insurance through Southern Cross.
  • Paid parental leave - annual leave continues to accrue for staff on parental leave (above and beyond what legislation requires). 
  • Social club - a variety of events like quiz nights and afterwork drinks.​
  • Sick leave - permanent employees get sick leave on commencement (above and beyond what legislation requires).

Our recruitment process

2. Shortlist

We create the shortlist - if you are selected then get prepared for the next exciting step.

3. Interviews

We will contact you for an interview where we get to know you in more depth. Our questions tend to be behavioural and competency based, meaning we will be looking for you to provide examples to demonstrate your experience. Initial interviews may be by phone or online video. If successful, this will be followed by either an online or a face-to-face interview where you also get the chance to ask more about the position and working for us. For some positions, you may need to attend more than one interview.

4. Pre-employment checks

If you are our preferred candidate, we will undertake our pre-employment checks. 

These are role-dependent and the checks vary depending on the role and the type of work:

  • Ministry of Justice or New Zealand Police vetting - for conviction history 
  • Pre-employment medical assessment -  for roles requiring labour, or in environments of risk e.g. chemicals/noise etc
  • Credit check - for roles that have financial responsibility e.g. P-card or Purchase Order approvals
  • Qualification check - for specialised roles that require confirmation of achievement (i.e. engineers, planners) and if relevant to the Children's Act 2014
  • Professional membership check - if required, to acknowledge continuous professionalism and development within the industry (e.g. CA ANZ, PINZ) or if relevant to the Children’s Act 2014 (i.e. Teaching Council for education-based roles and if the role requires frequent interaction with children).

All roles covered by the Children's Act 2014 require shortlisted candidates to undergo relevant safety checking under the Act before commencing employment, as well as during employment.

5. Assessments and testing

Psychometric assessments and skills-based tests are mostly done after background checking, but not all roles require this step.

If you’re asked to complete a psychometric assessment, it’s likely to be a personality or ability assessment (or both) and these can be completed online. These are another tool to get to know you more. Feedback and copies of these assessments are provided to candidates.

Skills-based testing may include online tests, written tests, presentations or manual work-based tests.

6. The offer

Congratulations! If you're the right person for the job then expect a call to confirm this. Your offer letter and agreement will be emailed to you soon after.

7. Acceptance

To confirm acceptance, you will need to email us a signed copy of your offer.

8. Making the difference that matters

Welcome to Hamilton City Council, onboarding may start as soon as we receive your acceptance. ​

Throughout our recruitment process, we follow the Privacy Act guidelines to ensure:

  • we are collecting relevant information from applicants
  • only those within the organisation directly involved in the recruitment decision-making process can access your information
  • the information gathered is confidentially stored in our recruitment and document management system
  • we gain permission from applicants for background checks and contacting referees
  • interview/reference/recruitment notes are typically destroyed after a period of three months
  • applicants have the ability to request or change information held on their record.
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Last updated 23 March 2023