HNZ. NZRDA and its members acknowledge their respective responsibilities and commitments to the clauses above. Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Xxx agrees to support RMOs plan their careers and in the transition from RMO to SMO though annually publishing, or otherwise making available, a list of SMO and fellowship vacancies and projected specialty shortages and surpluses. The parties support the principle that the New Zealand public health system should retain RMOs as SMOs. The parties support the following mechanisms to affect this principle: • Encouraging career planning meetings with RMOs nearing completion of their vocational training to assist them to develop a plan to apply for SMO vacancies; • Service planning processes identify plans to advertise and appoint to current or likely vacant SMO positions, or new SMO positions; and • Consideration on a best endeavours basis of whether, if there are no SMO vacancies in the RMO’s vocational specialty within Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, a limited- term interim position may be created, or the RMO may be engaged on a fixed term to cover for a parental or sabbatical SMO absence. The parties acknowledge appointment to an SMO position will be a contestable process and their application will be considered alongside other suitable applicants (including other NZ- trained RMOs who have completed vocational training) consistent with statutory and contractual obligations around appointment processes. HNZ will work with the medical unions to establish a common policy position on retaining NZ- trained vocational qualifying RMOs including actions needed to progress this.
