How to become an architectural technician
Official title: Architectural technician
Also called: Architectural draughtsperson, Architectural designer, CAD technician, Architectural drafter, Drafting officer, Drafting technician, Building information modeller
Architectural technicians create technical drawings and models of architectural designs for buildings and structures.
Main tasks
- Draw designs of buildings, structures and landscapes
- Create models of buildings, structures and landscapes
- Survey land and water features
- Create plans for projects
- Create maps
- Check the accuracy of calculations
- Supervise staff working on projects
How to become one
You need a qualification to become an architectural technician and experience may be useful. You need NCEA Level 3 or University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a Bachelor of Architectural Studies OR; a New Zealand Diploma in Architectural Technology (Level 6); examples of your work. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a driver licence; to be a Licensed Building Practitioner; understanding of the New Zealand Building Code (NZBC) and NZS3604 timber-framed buildings standard; experience with computer-aided design (CAD) draughting software; to be registered with Architectural Designers New Zealand.
Ways in
- University: Architecture & Built Environment degrees, Offered by 5 universities in New Zealand
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $66,000 to $106,000 a year (median $83,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $52,000 a year · Upper: $131,000 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.
Who does this work
- About 3,600 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become an architectural technician?
You need a qualification to become an architectural technician and experience may be useful. You need NCEA Level 3 or University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a Bachelor of Architectural Studies OR; a New Zealand Diploma in Architectural Technology (Level 6); examples of your work. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a driver licence; to be a Licensed Building Practitioner; understanding of the New Zealand Building Code (NZBC) and NZS3604 timber-framed buildings standard; experience with computer-aided design (CAD) draughting software; to be registered with Architectural Designers New Zealand.
How much does an architectural technician earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $83,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $66,000 to $106,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as an architectural technician 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.
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