How to become a business analyst
Official title: Business analyst
Also called: BA, Senior business analyst, Financial business analyst, Projects business analyst, HR business analyst
Business analysts design or recommend solutions to help organisations meet their goals.
Main tasks
- Analyse business trends
- Consult with organisational staff
- Document business requirements
- Review and analyse budgets
- Estimate costs and savings
- Write business cases and simplify technical information
- Implement new business solutions like software
- Identify issues, risks and benefits of olutions
How to become one
You need a qualification to become a business analyst and experience may be useful. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a relevant tertiary qualification in business and management, computer science, economics or similar area. Other requirements: experience in similar work; an industry certification through the Information Technology Certified Technologist scheme.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in economics and econometrics. TEC links this job to study in economics and econometrics studies. Qualifications: First-Year Pathway Diploma. Usually 1 year.; 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).; Advanced certificates and diplomas in software engineering and computer science. TEC links this job to study in computer science. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Applied Software Development, NZ Dip in Software Development, Dip in Cloud Engineering. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $51,000 a year one year after study and $65,000 five years after; 50% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $84,500 to $109,733 a year (median $93,950), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $71,265 a year · Upper: $130,000 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 7,600 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Business intelligence analyst
- Statistical technician
- Quantitative analyst
- Actuary
- Mathematician
- Operations research analyst
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Questions people ask
How do I become a business analyst?
You need a qualification to become a business analyst and experience may be useful. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a relevant tertiary qualification in business and management, computer science, economics or similar area. Other requirements: experience in similar work; an industry certification through the Information Technology Certified Technologist scheme.
How much does a business analyst earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $93,950 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $84,500 to $109,733 a year.
Has the number of people working as a business analyst 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