Glenfield College
Dietitian Pūkenga Whakaita Kai (Ngā Tohunga Mātai Kai)
Dietitians provide advice and counselling about diet, food and nutrition to individuals and communities. They also design nutrition programmes to support health and wellbeing.
Dietitians need to be registered with the New Zealand Dietitians Board.
Nutritionists who meet specific criteria, such as having relevant work experience, may:
- register with the Nutrition Society of New Zealand
- become associate members of Dietitians New Zealand.
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.
Physical Requirements
Dietitians need to be reasonably fit and healthy as they are role models for the people they advise.
Useful Experience
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.
Personal Qualities
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.
Skills
Dietitians need to have knowledge of:
- food and its nutrients, including the nutrients needed for human health
- how food is digested and absorbed
- science, including physiology, biochemistry and nutrition
- how patients may respond to advice and treatment
- health and nutrition research techniques
- food preparation techniques
- different cultures' beliefs and behaviours relating to food
- public health systems.
Dietitians who are self-employed need to have business and management skills.
Conditions
Dietitians:
- work regular business hours, but may work after hours or weekends if they are based in hospitals and private clinics
- work in hospitals, private practices, food service settings, and in the wider community
- may travel locally to visit clients in rest homes or their homes.
Subject Recommendations
NCEA Level 3 is required to enter tertiary training. Useful subjects include biology, chemistry, maths, home economics (food and nutrition), and health education.
Related Courses
Dietitians can earn around $74K-$113K per year.
Pay for dietitians varies depending on experience and where they work.
Dietitians working for Te Whatu Ora Health NZ
- Qualified dietitians usually earn $74,000 to $113,000 a year.
- Senior dietitians can earn $108,000 to $147,000.
Pay for dietitians working in private practice depends on their experience and the success of their business.
Source: APEX and Te Whatu Ora, 'Dietitian's Collective Agreement, 27 June 2024 to 31 January 2026', 2024.
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.
Years Of Training
5 years of training required.Becoming a dietitian
To become a dietitian (to work at a Te Whatu Ora Health NZ) you need to have a:
- Bachelor of Science majoring in human nutrition, or food science and nutrition, and
- Master's degree in dietetics, or nutrition and dietetics.
- University of Auckland website -Master of Health Science in Nutrition and Dietetics
- Massey University website - Master of Science (Nutrition and Dietetics)
- University of Otago website - Master of Dietetics.
Once qualified, you also need to be registered with the New Zealand Dietitians Board.
Becoming a nutritionist
There are no specific requirements for becoming a nutritionist. However, if you want to register with the Nutrition Society of New Zealand, it is recommended that you have:
- a Bachelor of Science from University of Otago, Massey University or Auckland University
- two to three years of experience in the field of nutrition.
You may still be able to register if you have a different degree that includes relevant science and nutrition courses.
Nutritionists can become associate members of Dietitians New Zealand if they have a science degree in human nutrition approved by Dietitians New Zealand, or have gained considerable work or research experience in nutrition or dietetics.
The Vulnerable Children Act 2014 means that if you have certain serious convictions, you can’t be employed in a role where you are responsible for, or work alone with, children.
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