Farming and fishing

How to become an agricultural consultant

Official title: Agricultural consultant

Also called: Agribusiness consultant, Farm consultant, Dairy consultant, Sheep and beef consultant, Agricultural adviser, Farm business consultant, Environmental consultant

Agricultural consultants advise farmers and organisations on business efficiency, livestock production and land management.

Main tasks

Advise farmers and organisations on farm practices
Assess farm results and performance
Design pasture and livestock systems
Recommend fertiliser and soil improvements
Identify pests, weeds and disease risks
Analyse farm data and budgets
Create farm plans and action steps
Help farms recruit workers

How to become one

You need experience to become an agricultural and horticultural consultant and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in similar work. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in agriculture, horticulture and viticulture, business and management, environmental studies, earth sciences or similar area; a driver licence.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in beekeeping. TEC links this job to study in agriculture. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Apiculture. Usually 10 to 11 months.
Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in horticulture. TEC links this job to study in horticulture and viticulture. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Horticulture Services, NZ Cert in Horticulture Production. Usually 1 to 1.5 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $66,000 a year one year after study and $76,000 five years after; 94% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in atmospheric sciences. TEC links this job to study in earth sciences. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Avalanche Risk Management. Usually 4 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $44,000 a year one year after study; 67% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Advanced certificates and diplomas in environmental sustainability. TEC links this job to study in environmental studies. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Environmental Management, Dip in Natural Resources, Heke Kaitiakitanga Pūtaiao, Te Aka Putaiao. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $49,000 a year one year after study; 42% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; 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).; Entry certificates in agricultural, environmental and soil science. TEC links this job to study in agriculture. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Primary Industry Skills. Usually 4 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $47,000 a year one year after study and $57,000 five years after; 51% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Entry certificates in horticulture. TEC links this job to study in horticulture and viticulture. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Horticulture (General), NZ Cert in Horticulture, Kai Oranga (Kaupae Tuatoru), Mahinga Kai - Te Hoata. Usually 6 to 8 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $48,000 a year one year after study and $53,000 five years after; 49% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $70,000 to $130,000 a year (median $127,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $55,000 a year · Upper: $200,000 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.
People employed in the group Agricultural and Forestry Scientists: 2,505 at the 2018 Census and 2,520 at the 2023 Census (+0.6%). 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 890 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Agricultural and Forestry Scientists, 27% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Agricultural and Forestry Scientists work (2023 Census): Canterbury 19.1%, Auckland 12.2%, and Bay of Plenty 11.8%.

Questions people ask

How do I become an agricultural consultant?

How much does an agricultural consultant earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $127,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $70,000 to $130,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as an agricultural consultant 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.

Will AI change the work of an agricultural consultant?

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 totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), 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