Full Time | Fixed Term Specialist Teaching Position starting Term 2, 2026.
Are you a champion for inclusive education? Do you believe that every child deserves a "Climate of Possibility"?
Shotover Primary School is looking for a dedicated Specialist Teacher to join our team for a fixed-term, full-time role. We need someone who doesn't just teach, but advocates, adapts, and empowers our neurodiverse learners to shine.
The Role
This isn't your standard classroom position. As a Specialist Teacher, you will be the bridge between potential and achievement for students with a range of neurodiverse needs. You’ll be working across the school to ensure that "inclusive education" is a lived reality, not just a buzzword.
Are you the one we’re looking for?
We want someone who looks at a challenge and sees an opportunity. You’ll thrive here if you:
Lead with Empathy: You understand that behaviour is communication and you lead with understanding.
Have Experience with Neurodiverse Children: You have proven experience working with children with diverse learning profiles and know how to unlock their best selves.
Are a Collaborative Navigator: You excel at working within the wider Learning Support System, seamlessly collaborating with OTs, SLTs, whānau, and fellow mentors to ensure every child has a cohesive support network
Are Adaptable & Flexible: You can pivot your approach and are able to look at the ‘big picture.’
Know the System: You have a solid awareness of the wider Learning Support System and how to navigate it to get the best results for students.
Why Shotover?
At Shotover Primary, we:
Prioritise People: We care about your potential and your passion for growth.
Support Growth: We invest heavily in your professional learning.
Value Culture: We love real coffee, we aren't afraid to make mistakes, and we figure out how to fix things instead of finding who to blame.
How to Apply
For more information:
Learn about our visionhere.
Everything we do is guided by our plan on a page.
Contact for inquiries: Mark Lendrum: SENCo at senco@shotover.school.nz or Ben Witheford, Principal at 03 409 0005.
Closing Date: 9am, Monday, 30th March 2026.
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.”