How to become an administration officer
Official title: Administration officer
Also called: Administrative assistant, Executive assistant, Administrator, Office assistant, Office administrator, Arts administrator, Sports administrator
Administration officers oversee the administrative activities in offices. They may schedule meetings, manage files and provide information to office staff, clients or visitors.
Main tasks
- Greet visitors and help customers
- Answer phone calls and questions
- Direct people to the right person
- Enter information into computer systems
- Process payments and financial transactions
- Collect payments
- Use computers and office equipment
- Report equipment and maintenance problems
How to become one
You usually learn on the job to become an administration officer and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but NCEA Level 3 may be useful. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in business and management or similar area; experience in similar work.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in management and business studies. TEC links this job to study in business and management. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Business, Dip in Business Studies, Cert in Business Studies, Dip in Business, Dip in Commerce. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $52,000 a year one year after study and $61,000 five years after; 61% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $55,000 to $79,000 a year (median $66,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $99,000 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 69,000 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
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Questions people ask
How do I become an administration officer?
You usually learn on the job to become an administration officer and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but NCEA Level 3 may be useful. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in business and management or similar area; experience in similar work.
How much does an administration officer earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $66,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $55,000 to $79,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as an administration officer grown in New Zealand?
It has held steady: TEC records the number of people doing this job as steady between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026