Full Time | Permanent and Fixed Term Teaching Positions across all year levels starting January 2026.
Shotover Primary School is seeking passionate and innovative Mentors (teachers) to join our team in January 2026. We have a range of permanent and fixed-term positions available across all year levels.
Our vision is to "Create a Climate of Possibility." We are looking for people who are dedicated to this vision and who are committed to continually improving their practice to create high-quality learning experiences for our students.
How do you know if you are someone who will thrive at Shotover? Consider the following as you think about that question.
Do you:
figure out how to fix it instead of who's to blame?
explore why something has happened?
find fulfilment in the power of more than one?
learn from your failures even more than your successes?
aim for the stars because the moon is too close?
Why work with us?
At Shotover Primary, we:
love real coffee.
are not afraid to make mistakes.
care more about the potential you bring than the experience you have.
invest in your professional learning.
Application Details
When applying, you will be able to indicate your preferences for year levels and position types (permanent or fixed-term). Successful applicants for permanent roles will be included in our fixed-term unit application process.
For more information:
Learn about our vision here.
Everything we do is guided by our plan on a page.
Contact:
Milly Hellyer, Associate Principal (leading the appointment panel): millyhellyer@shotover.school.nz
Ben Witheford, Principal: 03 409 0005 or ben@shotover.school.nz
Applications close at 11am on Monday, October 6, 2025.
All application details can be found here.
Interested in relieving?
We are looking to grow our pool of wonderful relievers. Register with Staff Sync today and you could be working tomorrow!
Why join our team?
We invest in the personal growth of our people. Our programme of professional learning is influenced by Sir Ken Robinson, Simon Sinek and Julia Aitken.
Collaboration at Shotover is more than a way of working; it’s a mindset. You’ll step into a purpose-built school with years of embedding effective collaborative practice.
Our culture values others. We empower our people to make decisions, draw on everyone’s expertise to achieve our goals, and support each other to learn and grow.
We’re committed to getting that bit better every day. You’ll be joining a learning-focused organisation that lives and breathes its vision (Creating a Climate of Possibility) and values (joy, growth mindset, curiosity, thinking and collaboration).
And we take full advantage of being situated in Queenstown’s amazing outdoor classroom!
Teaching at Shotover
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
Our Innovative Learning Environments have been designed to create structured yet flexible spaces that cater for children working independently through to larger groups. Each habitat includes a makerspace and kitchen, tiered seating, quiet spaces, and rooms that can be enclosed for privacy.
Our mentors collaborate in teams of three or four, giving them scope to personalise learning and group and teach the children according to their needs.
Getting your family settled
We enjoy a stunning lifestyle all year round: biking, tramping, skiing, camping and fishing are immediately accessible. Travel to Dunedin or Wanaka for the perfect weekend getaway.
Our school is surrounded by sunny, insulated, spacious family homes. The school has a rental property that may be available while you find a permanent home.
Our single secondary school opened in 2018 in a brand new building. And there are plenty of job openings, especially in the trades and teaching, as well as in new retail and tourism businesses and related services.
“When you do work that matters, the crowd will call you a fool. If you do something remarkable, something new and something important, not everyone will understand it (at first). Your work is for someone, not everyone. Unless you’re surrounded only by someones, you will almost certainly encounter everyone. And when you do, they will jeer. That’s how you’ll know you might be onto something.”