How the Average Salary in New Zealand Differs Across Roles and Cities

New Zealand gives international employers an English-speaking talent market, direct coverage of Asia-Pacific business hours, and a talent pool spanning technology, finance, engineering, healthcare, and professional services. Well-informed salary offers can help you compete for that talent.

While the average salary in New Zealand provides a useful starting point for workforce planning, a realistic employment budget also reflects the role, experience level, location, minimum-wage rules, and KiwiSaver contributions. A salary that suits an entry-level customer service role in Hamilton may fall short for an experienced software developer in Wellington.

To build offers and budgets on the right benchmarks, dive into the latest earnings data, how pay varies by city and role, and employers’ payroll costs atop salary.

What’s the average salary in New Zealand?

Stats NZ measures earnings in New Zealand in two ways, and the difference matters. Average weekly earnings include overtime and are reported per full-time equivalent employee, so they reflect what a typical full-time pay packet looks like. Average ordinary-time hourly earnings exclude overtime and divide by hours worked, which makes them the cleaner benchmark for comparing hourly roles and setting rates.

According to Stats NZ’s June 2026 labor market statistics and New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, the main benchmarks are:

• Average weekly earnings. It’s NZ$1,730, inclusive of overtime, for full-time-equivalent employees. Multiplied by 52, an average yearly salary would be NZ$89,960, a rough calculation rather than an official Stats NZ figure.
• Average ordinary-time hourly earnings. It’s NZ$44.62, which is an hourly average for ordinary time, not a guaranteed market rate.
• Adult minimum wage. The minimum wage is NZ$23.95 per hour.
• Starting-out and training minimum wage. For employees who fit specific eligibility standards, NZ$19.16 per hour is the minimum wage.

When comparing the average salary in New Zealand in USD, using the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s reference rate of NZ$1 = US$0.57085, average weekly earnings are approximately US$988, or about US$51,354 annually.

While these national figures can be useful, they blend occupations, industries, seniority levels, and locations. For a better average annual salary benchmark, narrow the comparison to the role for which you’re hiring.

Minimum wage in New Zealand

New Zealand sets a single national floor for minimum wage rather than varying it by region. Since April 1, 2026, the adult minimum wage has been NZ$23.95 an hour (about US$13.67). Most employees ages 16 or older must receive at least the adult rate if they are not starting out or a trainee, while the lower rate of NZ$19.16 is for defined circumstances.

While New Zealand has one of the higher minimum wages in comparison to other countries, keep in mind that the minimum wage is a legal floor, not a market rate. At about 53% of average ordinary-time hourly earnings, it tells you what you can’t legally go below, not what it takes to secure a hire.

Average salary in New Zealand by city

Where you’re planning to hire in New Zealand can affect pay because each city has a different mix of industries, employers, and in-demand skills. Stats NZ doesn’t publish directly comparable city-level base salary reports, and the most useful regional figures come from its Linked Employer-Employee Data, which uses administrative tax records rather than a salary survey. The stats below show median annual income from wages and salaries for the 2024 tax year. They include people who worked part-time or for only part of the year, so use them to understand regional differences rather than as direct benchmarks, especially for a full-time job offer:

• Wellington region. NZ$65,210 is the median annual earnings in Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, and Porirua.
• Auckland region. NZ$59,950 is the median in Auckland.
• Canterbury region (Christchurch and Timaru). The median in Christchurch and Timaru is NZ$57,780.
• Waikato region. NZ$56,880 represents the median in Hamilton.

These regional figures illustrate that one national pay band doesn’t suit every hire. While national pay bands may work for remote work roles, city or regional pay bands better reflect local recruiting conditions.

Average salary in New Zealand by role

The role’s responsibilities, qualifications and skills, and experience level often affect fair compensation more than location alone. Tahatū Career Navigator, a New Zealand government career service, publishes broad gross pay ranges across several industries and roles to support initial comparisons:

• Technology and software. Software developers most commonly earn NZ$90,000 to NZ$154,000 a year.
• Finance and accounting. Accountants and auditors most commonly earn NZ$71,000 to NZ$131,000.
• Operations and logistics. Supply chain managers most commonly earn NZ$86,000 to NZ$164,000.
• Healthcare. Registered nurses most commonly earn NZ$83,000 to NZ$99,000.
• Customer service. Customer service representatives most commonly earn NZ$52,000 to NZ$77,000.
• Hospitality. An average waiter salary in New Zealand per hour is NZ$24 to $31. This is only slightly above the adult minimum wage.

While the ranges vary significantly, they don’t cover formal entry-level and higher paying senior-level bands. Pricing junior and senior versions of the same role separately produces a more competitive offer than applying one New Zealand average salary to the entire workforce.

Employer payroll costs and KiwiSaver in New Zealand

KiwiSaver is New Zealand’s voluntary workplace retirement savings program. Eligible new employees ages 18 to 65 are usually enrolled automatically unless they opt out, and they contribute through payroll. Employers generally make compulsory contributions. In addition to KiwiSaver, maintaining payroll compliance in New Zealand may require your budget and payroll processes to account for:

• PAYE administration. Employers deduct pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) tax and other required amounts, then report employment information to Inland Revenue through payday filing.
• Employer KiwiSaver contributions. The current default employee contribution and matching compulsory employer contribution is 3.5% of gross pay.
• Employee KiwiSaver deductions. The default is 3.5%, while employees can choose 4%, 6%, 8%, or 10%, or apply for a temporary reduction to stay at 3% for up to a year.
• Employer superannuation contribution tax. Employer contributions to KiwiSaver and complying funds are generally subject to employer superannuation contribution tax. The rate depends on how much the employee makes and their years of service.
• ACC Work levy. New Zealand businesses pay an industry-based work levy. The average 2026/2027 rate is NZ$0.69 per NZ$100 of liable earnings, but the exact rate depends on the business classification and, where applicable, experience rating.

Taking into account all contributions, fees, statutory benefits, and any global employee benefits your company offers provides a clearer picture of how much an employee actually costs versus salary alone.

How Pebl helps you hire and pay employees in New Zealand

Salary benchmarking is an initial step to hiring in New Zealand. Actual salary targets based on the role, location, and experience level make an offer competitive. From there, you have to remain compliant in payroll by calculating PAYE and KiwiSaver, maintaining records, filing employment information, and keeping up with any rate changes.

Companies with a New Zealand entity can use Pebl’s Global Payroll services for local payroll calculations, payments, statutory contributions and deductions, and reporting. Companies without a local entity can use Pebl’s Employer of Record services, engaging Pebl to act as a hire’s legal employer while maintaining control of the employee’s day-to-day work.

Contact Pebl to request a demo and initiate your hiring plans in New Zealand.

FAQ

What is considered a good salary in New Zealand?

A good salary in New Zealand depends on several factors including role, experience level, and location. Stats NZ’s figures put the median weekly earnings at NZ$1,419, providing a broad reference point. From there, take into account the specific role, experience level, location, and benefits to create a total compensation package.

Is NZ$75,000 a good salary in New Zealand?

NZ$75,000 (about US$42,814) sits slightly above the national median. But it’s slightly below the average full-time salary in New Zealand of NZ$89,960, an annualized calculation based on average weekly earnings. It may be competitive for some customer-facing or early-career roles, but it can fall below what is expected for the highest paying jobs.