Electronics and machinery

How to become an aerospace engineer

Official title: Aerospace engineer

Also called: Aeronautical design engineer, Aeronautical engineer, Propulsion engineer

Aerospace engineers oversee all engineering aspects of the design, construction and testing of aircraft, satellites and spacecraft.

Main tasks

Oversee design, construction and testing of aircraft
Check design plans and create models
Test how well aircraft systems work
Find and fix aircraft problems
Design tools for aircraft repair and maintenance
Check aircraft parts for safety
Set rules for aircraft design
Keep records of designs and tests

How to become one

You need a qualification to become an aerospace engineer. You need NCEA Level 2 or University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a Bachelor of Engineering OR to do an apprenticeship in aeronautical engineering or similar. Other requirements: a postgraduate certificate or diploma in aerospace engineering or similar area; licensing or certification from the Civil Aviation Authority; experience in similar work; to be a chartered professional engineer with Engineering New Zealand.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in aircraft maintenance and aeronautical engineering. TEC links this job to study in aerospace engineering and technology. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Aeronautical Engineering (Aircraft Manufacture), NZ Cert in Aeronautical Engineering (Applied Skills). Usually 2 to 2.5 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $101,000 a year one year after study; 94% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 5 universities in New Zealand

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $81,000 to $141,000 a year (median $112,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $58,000 a year · Upper: $175,000 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: Increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 550 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Other Engineering Professionals, 14% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Other Engineering Professionals work (2023 Census): Auckland 33.8%, Canterbury 14.8%, and Waikato 9.8%.

Questions people ask

How do I become an aerospace engineer?

How much does an aerospace engineer earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $112,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $81,000 to $141,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as an aerospace engineer grown in New Zealand?

It has grown: TEC records an increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of an aerospace engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

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
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), 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