Job Description

• Help create unforgettable experiences for visitors from around the world
• Trade the office for native forest, rugged coastline, and incredible scenery
• Salary: $61,189 - $67,466
• 1x fixed-term full-time opportunity October 2026 to June 2027
• Based on the Heaphy Track, Great Walk – Staying on site at Staff Quarters

Our vision: Nature is thriving in Aotearoa | Te Oranga o te Ao Tūroa

He angitūtanga | About the role

This is not your average job. As a Hut Warden on the Heaphy Great Walk, you'll live and work in one of New Zealand's most diverse and remote natural environments, helping ensure the track's huts and visitor facilities are safe, welcoming, and well maintained.

As a Hut Warden, you will be the face of the Great Walk experience, providing a friendly and informative presence for visitors from New Zealand and around the world. You'll undertake routine hut and facility maintenance, monitor hut and track conditions, support visitor safety, and contribute to the protection of the area's unique natural and cultural values. You'll play an important role in enhancing visitors' experiences by sharing local knowledge, promoting responsible behaviour in the backcountry, and helping visitors connect with this iconic landscape.

Working across the Heaphy Great Walk hut network, you'll spend extended periods in the field and may be required to walk between huts carrying equipment and supplies. You'll work independently and as part of a wider seasonal team to maintain high standards of visitor service, asset management, and conservation stewardship throughout the season.

The summer season includes peak visitor periods, public holidays, and extended periods of high visitor demand. Hut Wardens are expected to work throughout holiday periods, including Christmas and New Year, as part of a rostered team, while continuing to deliver exceptional visitor experiences and effective hut operations

Your work will include:

• Maintaining huts, facilities, and amenities through daily cleaning, upkeep, and routine maintenance to ensure a high-quality visitor experience.
• Monitoring and maintaining hut systems and infrastructure, including water supplies, wastewater systems, solar power systems, and other visitor facilities.
• Providing visitors with information on weather, track conditions, route options, hut use, conservation values, and alpine safety.
• Supporting visitor safety through education, incident response, and basic compliance activities while providing a positive and professional presence in the backcountry.
• Recording visitor statistics, maintenance activities, incidents, and work reports using mobile technology.
• Working independently in remote locations and spending extended periods living in hut environments.

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Click here for the Role Description  

Click here for the Role Description

Click here for Applicant Information Sheet

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience

If you have some of the following, we'd love to hear from you:

• Good communication skills and the ability to relate well to a diverse range of people.
• Experience maintaining recreation facilities, including cleaning, painting, basic repairs, and general upkeep.
• Experience tramping and navigating in the backcountry, with strong outdoor skills and judgement.
• A current First Aid certificate.
• A good understanding of conservation and New Zealand's natural and cultural heritage.
• Ability to work independently and confidently in remote and isolated locations.
• Full NZ driver licence.
• Experience using scrub cutters, hedge trimmers and track maintenance.
• Knowledge of hut operations, visitor services, or recreation asset maintenance.
• A high level of physical fitness and resilience to work in a demanding backcountry environment, including long-distance walking of up to 80km per roster on the Heaphy Track
• Ability to use VHF radio systems and workplace technology
• Ability to live and work with other team members in a remote environment

He aha ngā pāinga mōu? | What’s in it for you?

DOC is committed to a culture where everyone can participate, thrive, and grow. We’re driven by our values and behaviours, and are working towards being an organisation that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive by default.

Tonoa inaiānei | Apply now

Apply online with your CV and cover letter outlining your relevant experience and motivation. We’re unable to accept emailed applications or provide feedback to applicants not shortlisted.

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, let us know and we’ll try to accommodate.

Salary: $61,189 to $67,446, depending on skills and experience.

Eligibility: You must hold a valid NZ work visa that covers the duration of employment.

Rā whakakapi | Applications close at 11:59 pm on Sunday 20 September 2026.

Me he pātai anō, whakapā mai | For further enquiries, contact Seasonal Jobs seasonaljobs@doc.govt.nz