Emergency, police and defence

How to become an air force aviator

Official title: Air force aviator

Also called: Air force officer, Flying officer, Pilot officer, Air defence officer

Air force aviators fly military aircraft and plan and carry out air force operations in New Zealand and around the world.

Main tasks

Fly and navigate aircraft and helicopters
Plan flight paths for safe travel
Help with search, rescue and disaster relief
Plan air transport for people and cargo
Supervise maintenance of aircraft and equipment
Organise and provide training
Manage budgets and resources
Design air communication networks

How to become one

You need to do training to become an air force aviator. You usually need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: to be over 16.5 years old when you apply and over 18 when you finish your training; to complete a training course; to pass a police check; to pass a medical assessment. Other requirements: a driver licence.

See the full Tahatū profile

Pay · Past change

Most common pay: $68,000 to $107,000 a year (median $89,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $56,000 a year · Upper: $118,000 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: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.

Who does this work

About 170 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).

Questions people ask

How do I become an air force aviator?

How much does an air force aviator earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $89,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $68,000 to $107,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as an air force aviator grown in New Zealand?

It has shrunk: TEC records a decrease in the number of people doing this job 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