Salaries
If you are looking at moving to New Zealand the tables below will give you an idea of the pay rates you will encounter upon arriving in New Zealand.
This table is a combined New Zealand average salary scale
Typical Annual Salaries in New Zealand
Profession |
Average Annual Earnings |
| Accounting Technician | $40,000 - $70,000 |
| Auditor | $50,000 - $100,000+ |
| Bank Manager | $50,000 - $100,000 |
| Financial Planners | $30,000 - $100,000+ |
| Loss Adjustors | $30,000 - $100,000+ |
| Management Accountant | $40,000 - $100,000 |
| Teacher | $40,000 - $70,000 |
| Educational Psychologist | $40,000 - $100,000 |
| Engineer (Chem./Elect.) | $40,000 - $100,000+ |
| Environmental Engineer | $35,000 - $90,000 |
| Road Engineer | $35,000 - $80,000 |
| Elect. Engineer Technician | $35,000 - $85,000 |
| Environmental Scientist | $30,000 - $80,000 |
| Forestry Scientist | $30,000 - $45,000 |
| Industrial Chemist | $40,000 - $100,000 |
| Computing Services Manager | $50,000 - $150,000+ |
| Systems Analyst | $50,000 - $100,000+ |
| Computer Helpdesk Operator | $25,000 - $55,000 |
| Warehouse Manager | $25,000 - $45,000 |
| Solicitor | $50,000 - $200,000+ |
| Registered Hospital Nurse | $50,000 (median incl shifts) |
The table below is an average hourly pay scale from Christchurch.
The cost of living is lower in Christchurch so the pay rates will be less than Auckland
Typical Hourly Wage Rates in Christchurch
Trade / Job |
Wage range (per hour) |
| Construction work (carpenter) | $15 - $21 (Auckland $18 - $30) |
| Printer | $30 |
| Secretarial work | $12 - $20 |
| Secretarial work (for a v. good p.a.) | $30 + |
| Engineers | $30 + |
| Welder | $16 - $18 |
| Labourer (young, little experience) | $10 |
| Trade assistant (more exp. labourer) | $11 - $12 |
| Electrician | $17 - $23 |
| Cleaners | $10 - $12 |
If you need to find out if your skills are in demand, The Immigration Service publishes regularly updated lists:
The Long Term Skill Shortage List.
The Immediate Skill Shortage List.
Graduates in the education sector earn relatively attractive salaries by New Zealand standards. For example, experienced schoolteachers with no management responsibilities earn $56,000 pa. University research fellows start at NZ$50,000 and progress to the top of the senior research fellow scale at NZ$73,000 pa.
Chartered accountants' remuneration packages average around $105 - $110,000 in Auckland and Wellington. Elsewhere, Chartered accountant’s might average around $80-85,000. Well-qualified, experienced candidates for corporate management work might expect salaries up to $100,000+ p.a.
Looking at jobs in New Zealand as a whole, salaries data from Statistics NZ show that in the final quarter of 2004 people were earning the wage levels shown below. These figures are for normal working hours, excluding overtime.
New Zealand Average Hourly Earnings 2004
Earnings Classification |
Average Hourly Earnings |
| Private sector | $18.53 |
| Public sector | $24.77 |
| Males | $21.56 |
| Females | $18.54 |
| All NZ Employees | $20.25 |
The average NZ male employee works 39 hours per week with an additional 1.5 hours paid overtime.
The average NZ female employee works 36 hours per week with an additional 0.5 hours paid overtime.
The top earning sectors in New Zealand are the Finance & Electricity and Gas & Water sectors. People working in these New Zealand industries earn twice as much as people working in accommodation, cafes, restaurants and retail.
New Zealand Average Hourly Earnings December 2004
Employment Sector |
Average Hourly Earnings 2004 |
Average Hourly Earnings 2002 |
| Accommodation / cafes / restaurants | $13.15 | $12.61 |
| Retail | $14.24 | $13.49 |
| Construction | $17.90 | $17.17 |
| Manufacturing | $19.20 | $18.25 |
| Personal Services | $19.21 | $18.34 |
| Transport / storage / communication | $19.94 | $18.89 |
| Health and community services | $20.78 | $19.26 |
| Wholesale trade | $21.10 | $20.46 |
| Forestry and mining | $21.65 | $19.96 |
| Cultural and recreation services | $22.51 | $22.00 |
| Property and business services | $22.85 | $24.77 |
| Education | $24.39 | $22.66 |
| Government admin. And defence | $26.07 | $24.77 |
| Finance and insurance | $28.49 | $24.81 |
| Electricity, gas and water | $28.20 | $27.45 |
Reviews / Comments for Salaries
No reviews have been written write a review now.
