A person working in Gardening / Farming / Fishing in New Zealand typically earns around 58,600 NZD per year. Salaries range from 24,600 NZD (lowest average) to 145,000 NZD (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher).
This is the average yearly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Salaries vary drastically between different Gardening / Farming / Fishing careers. If you are interested in the salary of a particular job, see below for salaries for specific job titles.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Agricultural and Food Science Technician | 58,400 NZD |
Agricultural and Food Scientist | 143,000 NZD |
Agricultural Consultant | 132,000 NZD |
Agricultural Engineer | 86,400 NZD |
Agricultural Inspector | 78,400 NZD |
Agricultural Manager | 147,000 NZD |
Agronomist | 120,000 NZD |
Animal Attendant | 44,900 NZD |
Animal Nutritionist | 78,000 NZD |
Animal Trainer | 50,100 NZD |
Aquaculture and Seafood Farmer | 46,500 NZD |
Bee Keeper | 26,700 NZD |
Commercial Horticulturist | 64,800 NZD |
Diver | 44,900 NZD |
Farm Manager | 107,000 NZD |
Farmer | 29,000 NZD |
Floral Designer | 36,500 NZD |
Foreman | 23,300 NZD |
Forestry and Logging Worker | 24,400 NZD |
Garden Center Helper | 26,600 NZD |
Garden Centre Manager | 67,400 NZD |
Gardener | 26,800 NZD |
General Farm Assistant | 27,600 NZD |
Greenhouse Assistant | 27,600 NZD |
Greenhouse Manager | 66,600 NZD |
Groundsman | 24,800 NZD |
Grower | 27,800 NZD |
Horticultural Worker | 26,000 NZD |
Tree Pruner | 25,700 NZD |
Tree Specialist | 45,100 NZD |
![]() 24,600 NZD |
![]() 52,900 NZD |
![]() 145,000 NZD |
Gardening / Farming / Fishing salaries in New Zealand range from 24,600 NZD per year (starting average salary) to 145,000 NZD per year (maximum average salary, actual maximum is higher). This is not the minimum wage as per the law, only the lowest reported number in the salary survey that had thousands of participants and professionals from all over the country.
The median salary is 52,900 NZD per year, which means that half (50%) of people working in Gardening / Farming / Fishing are earning less than 52,900 NZD while the other half are earning more than 52,900 NZD. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of people working in Gardening / Farming / Fishing are earning less than 41,800 NZD while 75% of them are earning more than 41,800 NZD. Also from the diagram, 75% of people working in Gardening / Farming / Fishing are earning less than 66,500 NZD while 25% are earning more than 66,500 NZD.
We grouped the most common and recurring salaries into brackets to give more insight into what salary to expect. This method is more accurate than just the average salary and gives more insights on how salaries are actually distributed. Around 65% of all reported figures are in the range 33,900 NZD to 60,000 NZD. Approximatly 20% fall under the 33,900 NZD cap. Ten percent of wages are from 60,000 NZD to 71,900 NZD. Only 5% of people grossed 71,900 NZD or more.
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher the wage.
Generally speaking, employees having experience from two to five years earn on average 32% more than freshers and juniors across all industries and disciplines.
Professionals with experience of more than five years tend to earn on average 36% more than those with five years or less of work experience.
As you hit the ten years mark, the salary increases by 21% and an additional 14% for those who have crossed the 15 years mark.
Those figures are presented as guidelines only. The numbers become more significant if you consider one job title at a time.
It is well known that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We compared the salaries of professionals at the same level but with different college degrees levels across many jobs, below are our findings.
Workers with a certificate or diploma earn on average 17% more than their peers who only reached the high school level.
Employees who earned a Bachelor's Degree earn 24% more than those who only managed to attain a cerificate or diploma.
Professionals who attained a Master's Degree are awarded salaries that are 29% more than those with a Bachelor's Degree.
Finally, PhD holders earn 23% more than Master's Degree holders on average while doing the same job.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in New Zealand costs anywhere from 40,500 New Zealand Dollar(s) to 122,000 New Zealand Dollar(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support this tactic. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
The decision really depends on your situation and experience among many other factors. Putting all variables aside, if you can afford the costs of higher education then the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male employees in New Zealand who work in Gardening / Farming / Fishing earn 5% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 60,100 NZD | |
Female | -5% | 57,000 NZD |
Gardening / Farming / Fishing professionals in New Zealand are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 7% every 17 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 2% | |
Energy | 4% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 8% | |
Travel | 1% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 5% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in New Zealand for the year 2022. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.
Gardening / Farming / Fishing is considered to be a low bonus-based field. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
72% of surveyed staff in Gardening / Farming / Fishing reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 28% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 1% to 3% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 28% | |
No Bonus | 72% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
Average Salary 2019 | 53,400 NZD | |
Average Salary 2020 | +2% | 54,400 NZD |
Average Salary 2021 | +3% | 56,100 NZD |
Average Salary 2022 | +2% | 57,000 NZD |
Gardening / Farming / Fishing salaries in New Zealand are rising in the year 2023 based on recent submitted salaries and reports. As displayed in the chart, salaries in 2022 are 2% higher than those of 2021. The trend suggests a slow yet continuous increase in pay in 2024 and future years. These numbers may vary from industry to another.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
This minimum pay rate per hour for a person in New Zealand is 12 NZD. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.
The average salary for Gardening / Farming / Fishing is 40% less than that of All Jobs.
City | Average Salary |
Auckland | 65,000 NZD |
Christchurch | 62,100 NZD |
Hamilton | 56,300 NZD |
Rotorua | 53,700 NZD |
Wellington | 59,800 NZD |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in New Zealand earn 5% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 94,600 NZD | |
Public Sector | +5% | 99,600 NZD |
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 52,900 NZD and 66,500 NZD. This is a very rough estimate and your experience and education will play a very huge part into your final earnings.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salart after tax for every career.
The base salary for Gardening / Farming / Fishing in New Zealand is ranges from 41,800 NZD to 66,500 NZD. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range in a grain of salt.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary