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Published 17 Jan 2019

Who Earns what? The Best Careers in New Zealand

by Caitlin George

Are you stuck looking for a job that you will enjoy, but will also pay the bills? Look no further, below is a list of handsomely paying jobs, organised by industry, one of which is sure to tickle your fancy.

Highest Paying: Creative Industry

Graphic Designer

Graphic Designers work with clients and colleagues to create the best graphic design possible for the client’s needs. The creative process can include using a vast variety of art materials and mediums, as well as implementing various knowledge of art principles. This knowledge is usually collected through 1-3 years of university or some other form of higher education, though some graphic designers do not complete a tertiary level of schooling.

Salary

  • A graduate graphic designer usually earns $32,000 to $50,000 a year.
  • Intermediate graphic designers with three to five years’ experience usually earn between $45,000 and $65,000.
  • Senior graphic designers with more than five years’ experience may earn $65,000 to $85,000.

Work Conditions: Graphic designers usually work in offices or studios, but it is also very possible to work from home. Most complete regular work hours, but extending hours to meet deadlines may be necessary.

Graphic designers are employed by

  • Design and advertising agencies
  • Print production and publishing companies
  • Film and multimedia companies
  • Web design companies
  • Sign making companies

Knowledge required:

English Language
69%
Computers and electronics
78%
Fine Art
84%
Design
89%
Communications and media
90%

Animator / Digital Artist

Animators and Digital artists are employed by nearly every industry to create works that will be on display in print, film, web or television. Digital artists will use software manipulation and drawing tablets to create works of art, while animators piece together various artworks to create a moving image.

Average Pay

2D Animators and Digital Artists

$0
per hour

3D Animators earn

$0.50
per hour
“I love animation – starting off with a character and getting him doing something, bringing him to life. When I’m working, time just disappears”Simon Dasam

Entry Requirments

  • Experience in animation or digital design
  • a tertiary qualification such as a Bachelor of Creative Media Production, Bachelor of Design, majoring in visual communication design, or a Diploma in Animation.

Knowledge Required

English Language
82%
Education and Training
83%
Medicine and Dentistry
86%
Therapy and Counseling
92%
Psychology
92%

Industrial Designer

Industrial designers are some of the most flexible people on earth. You will need to balance different projects, your clients’ needs, your needs and capabilities, deadlines and budgets all at once. However, for someone with a fast thinking, creative mind, all this should be exhilarating, not tiring. A regular day of work will involve listening to clients, sketching product designs that fit their needs, going over the models with the client, working out the logistics and making the product.

“I have always loved the conceptual phase of doing a sketch on a piece of paper that captures some vision, and then months later seeing that physically translated into a 3D object or product someone could purchase. To me, the poetry in that is just fascinating. When I started the design programme, I just became more passionate about it.”Graham Brewster, Industrial Designer

Salary

  • Graduate industrial designers typically earn between $40,000 and $50,000 a year.
  • With one to three years’ experience, industrial designers usually earn between $50,000 and $70,000.
  • With three to four years’ experience, industrial designers usually earn between $70,000 and $90,000.
  • At a senior level, with five or more years’ experience and management responsibilities, industrial designers may earn $90,000 to $120,000.

Knowledge Required

Mechanical
80%
Computers and Electronics
76%
Production and Processing
83%
Engineering and Technology
90%
Design
96%

Highest Paying: Social and Community Services

Health Services Manager

As a health service manager, you will run the day to day operations of a hospital, clinic, or some other sort of health organisation. Such tasks handled are reviewing budgets, working with staff, making sure all government requirements are accounted for, etc.

“I look after the relationships our organization has with an array of Māori health providers, including mental health, nursing, and health promotion services. The aim is that they have enough trust in me that we can talk about business issues… There are challenges in trying to get different groups of people working together, but it’s rewarding to know that I’m adding value to people’s lives by working towards a health system that is set up in such a way that it can best meet the needs of the people.”Matiu Julian

How to become a health service manager:

  • A Degree

    Usually, to become a health service manager you will need a post-graduate degree in an area of health management

  • Best secondary school subjects

    If you are a younger reader and are looking to choose subjects that will fit your further career, then taking English, accounting and economics will be perfect for a future career as a health service manager

  • Prior experience

    A history in nursing or health work/ managing will certainly help you appear as a well qualified to possible employers, even if you don’t have a degree

Salary

  • New graduates recruited into health services management roles usually earn about $60,000 to $70,000 a year.
  • After four to five years in the role, you can earn about $100,000 to $120,000 a year.
  • Experienced health services managers with 10 to 15 years’ experience and a postgraduate qualification can earn up to $200,000 a year.
  • Medical administrators who are qualified and a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators earn between about $151,000 and $216,000.
  • The most senior health services executives can earn more than $400,000.

Knowledge Required

Personnel and Human Resources
75%
Clerical
75%
Customer and Personal Service
78%
English Language
84%
Administration and Management
85%

Occupational Therapist

As an occupational therapist, you will work with people of all different levels of ability, to help them function better throughout their daily lives. An average day involves assessing what they need help with, working on a therapy program for them, helping them through the program, and evaluating them throughout the process.

Salary

  • Occupational therapists with up to six years experience usually earn between $47,000 and $68,000 a year.
  • Occupational therapists with up to six years experience usually earn between $47,000 and $68,000 a year.
  • Occupational therapists working in private practice usually earn between $45,000 and $110,000 per year.
“I love working in a helping profession. You’re looking at people’s quality of life and if they’re unwell and disabled it’s about you helping them get back to engaging in meaningful activities.”Christine King

Job Opportunities

  • The rise in elderly creating demand

    Demand for medical and welfare professionals has grown with the rising population of the elderly. This is a reason why future job growth, according to joboutlook.gov, is classified as ‘very strong’.

  • Other possible jobs

    If an occupation therapist wishes so, they could move onto a more specialized career in burn management, hearing, mental health addiction, geriatrics or pediatrics.

  • Competition

    Demand for highly qualified occupational therapists is quite high, however, this can cause problems for starting therapists, making it hard for them to get a job, due to their entry level experience

Knowledge Required

Education and Training
83%
English Language
82%
Medicine and Dentistry
86%
Therapy and Counseling
92%
Psychology
92%

Manufacturing and Technology

Air-Craft Maintenance Manager

Everything to do with making sure that aircraft’s function and perform safely and consistently, is taken care of by AirCraft Maintenance engineers. These particular tasks mean you have to have a vast collection of knowledge about the engineering and functioning of specific aircraft models, skills in physically working on aircraft components, and an at least basic understanding of aerodynamics.

Pay for civilian aircraft maintenance engineers

  • Non-qualified and apprentice aircraft maintenance engineers usually earn between $37,000 and $45,000 a year.
  • Those with three to four years’ experience usually earn between $45,000 and $60,000.
  • Senior aircraft maintenance engineers usually earn between $60,000 and $80,000
  • Senior aircraft maintenance engineers in supervisor or manager roles usually earn between $70,000 and $130,000

Pay for Royal NZ Airforce aircraft maintance engineers

  • Trainee aircraft maintenance engineers receive a recruit’s salary of $36,000 a year.
  • Trained aircraft maintenance engineers can earn between $46,000 and $51,000.
  • Senior aircraft maintenance engineers can earn between $50,000 and $63,000.
  • Aircraft maintenance engineers in the Air Force also receive benefits such as free medical and dental work, and subsidized food and study.

Types of Employers

  • Air Newzealand
  • Aircraft design and maintenance companies
  • The Royal NZ airforce
  • The Royal NZ navy (working on helicopters)
 

An aircraft engineer can progress to other jobs such as

  • Aeronautical Engineer
  • Electronics Engineer

Knowledge Required

Mathematics
64%
Customer and Personal Service
66%
Engineering and Technology
68%
English Language
75%
Mechanical
94%

Electronics Engineer

Electronics engineers look over the production, and construction of different electrical machines and their components, such as microwaves, washing machines, and telecommunications. To do this efficiently, you will need to know specific areas in maths, physics and electronics, new and developing knowledge in the electronics industry, and at least basic design skills.

Salary

  • Newly qualified electronics engineers can expect to earn $50,000 to $65,000 a year.
  • Experienced electronics engineers can earn between $65,000 and $110,000, or more.

Requirments for the job

  • Tertiary Requirements

    Usually, to become an electrical engineer, you will need a bachelor of engineering or bachelor of technology.

  • Secondary Requirments

    In order to enter tertiary level for electrical engineering degrees, you will of needed to complete NCEA level 3. Though it is not a prerequisite, studying maths and physics in secondary school will also be very beneficial to your overall level of skill as an engineer.

  • Necessary personal qualities

    Motivated, Creative, Adaptable, Patient, Committed

  • Useful past experience

    Previous work with electronics, past profession involving maths or physics, experience working with computers on a professional and/or complicated level

  • Physical Requirments

    Electrical engineers are required to have good hand-eye coordination and good eyesight that is natural or given through aids such as glasses or contacts.

Knowledge Required

Physics
69%
Design
81%
Mathematics
82%
Computers and Electronics
93%
Engineering and Technology
98%
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Caitlin George

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