Visitor Hosts - Historic Hayes - Ref 160

Fixed-Term 37.5 hours per week, early September 2026 – 31 May 2027

Tuesday – Saturday 8.30am – 4.30pm

Historic Hayes is part of the national suite of historic properties managed by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and is one of the top visitor attractions in Oturehua along the Otago Central Rail Trail. We are looking for someone to join our successful Museum, Workshop and Café on the site.

The visitor host assists in all levels of day-to-day operations of the museum including delivering engaging guided tours to groups, day to day events and bookings, public programmes and delivering events.

Our ideal candidate will enjoy working as part of a small team and will have training and experience in the café-restaurant industry or previous hospitality experience. The site is open to visitors seven days a week and this role does include some weekend work.

This role requires you to:

• welcome and engage with all visitors to the site


• deliver site introductions to groups of visitors, including school groups


• assist with guided operating tours of the historic Hayes Workshop


• participate in the day-to-day retail and customer service operations of the museum and cafe, including merchandise display, restocking and barista (with training provided)


• use our computer-based Point of Sale system


• Promote Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and its properties

About you

Your knowledge and experience that will see you succeed in this role:

• strong communicator - storytelling skills and audience engagement


• accuracy and attention to detail


• an understanding of working in a heritage environment


• being a team player, adaptable and proactive


• strong awareness of health & safety in the workplace


• displaying initiative and excellent customer service

Advantageous:

Understanding of stakeholder engagement and an appreciation of tikanga Māori.

Relevant experience in tour guiding and hosting.

Relevant experience in hospitality.

Relevant experience or interest in historic engineering/machinery.

The hourly rate for this position is $29.90 per hour. Hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 8.30am – 4.30pm, for 9 months from early September 2026 to 31 May 2027.

Applications close at 5pm on Sunday 23rd August 2026.

How to apply

Please use our application platform to upload your cover letter and CV. 

Please note you must have NZ citizenship or a current working visa to apply for this role.

Please refer to our website for the Job Description https://www.heritage.org.nz/about/careers