Explore careers

Useful experience for dietitians includes:

• work in a hospital kitchen or restaurant
• food preparation work
• teaching or staff management experience
• working with people of different ages and cultural backgrounds.

Dietitians may do some or all of the following:

• counsel clients about their lifestyle and eating habits
• plan special diets or provide specialised nutrition support for clients
• do research and present findings at seminars
• lecture at universities/polytechnics on the topics of diet and nutrition
• provide nutritional information to food industry organisations
• provide nutritional information to sports and fitness centres, and athletes
• market specialist nutritional products.

Not enough jobs for graduating dietitians

Chances of getting a job are good for experienced dietitians.

However, opportunities for graduates are limited due to a lack of new dietitian positions in district health boards. 

You can increase your chances of getting work by:

• joining Dietitians New Zealand and attending their branch meetings, conferences and professional development workshops
• using your clinical placement to work with a senior dietitian in an area of interest (such as diabetes)
• volunteering at district health boards or with Dietitians New Zealand to help run professional development workshops, or produce newsletters
• approaching private businesses that employ dietitians.  

Skilled dietitians in demand

Dietitian appears on Immigration New Zealand's Green List. This means the Government is actively encouraging skilled dieticians from overseas to work in New Zealand.

According to the Census, 609 dietitians and 270 nutritionists worked in New Zealand in 2018.  

Types of employers varied

Dietitians may be employed by:

• district health boards
• primary health organisations 
• government organisations such as the Ministry of Health or New Zealand Food Safety 
• non-governmental organisations such as the Heart Foundation or Cancer Society
• universities and polytechnics
• commercial or industrial organisations.

Dietitians may also work in private practice or be self-employed.

Dietitians New Zealand

021 1044 416 - admin@dietitians.org.nz - www.dietitians.org.nz

Nutrition Society of NZ

info@nutritionsociety.ac.nz - www.nutritionsociety.ac.nz

Dietitians may progress into:

• policy or advisory work in the public sector
• private practice
• pharmaceuticals
• the food industry
• food service settings such as aged-care facilities
• communications 
• management
• teaching and research.
   
• Policy analyst job information
• Public relations professional job information 
• Tertiary lecturer job information

Dietitians may specialise in one of the following roles:

Clinical Dietitian

Clinical dietitians work in an area of dietetics such as allergies, irritable bowel syndrome or paediatrics.

Food Industry Dietitian

Food industry dietitians help companies to reformulate foods, and package and market foods so that healthy foods are available for purchase.

Food Service Dietitian

Food service dietitians work in kitchens at hospitals, rest homes, boarding schools or hostels. They are often employed by large catering companies to assist with menu planning for people with different dietary needs.

Public Health Dietitian

Public health dietitians promote public health by developing and implementing community nutrition programmes, and advising on food and nutrition guidelines. They may also work with retailers and manufacturers to improve access to healthy food options.

Dietitians need to be:

• outgoing and motivated
• able to inspire confidence in others
• patient
• able to relate to a wide variety of people
• good at communicating
• organised and good at planning.