How to become a case manager
Official title: Case manager
Also called: Welfare worker
Case managers work with individuals and families to help them overcome hardship and access social services and support.
Main tasks
- Provide emergency help in crises
- Help people find or return to work
- Assist with housing and financial support
- Support prisoners with treatment and programmes
- Make plans for clients after prison release
- Teach life skills
- Assist clients with insurance claims
- Attend court and give evidence
How to become one
You usually need experience to become a case manager and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a relevant tertiary qualification in human welfare or psychology studies; a driver licence.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in community client care. TEC links this job to study in human welfare. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Health and Wellbeing, NZ Cert in Health and Wellbeing (Social and Community Services). Usually 1 to 1.5 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $61,000 a year one year after study; 80% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
- Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in other human welfare and services. TEC links this job to study in human welfare. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Health and Wellbeing (Practice/Applied Practice), NZ Dip in Whānau Ora, NZ Dip in Health and Wellbeing (Applied Practice). Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $59,000 a year one year after study; 81% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Advanced certificates and diplomas in psychology. TEC links this job to study in psychology studies. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Psychology. Usually 6 months to 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $45,000 a year one year after study and $49,000 five years after; 44% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $68,000 to $86,000 a year (median $77,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $58,000 a year · Upper: $101,000 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.
Who does this work
- About 3,400 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Social and community service manager
- Career consultant
- Family and marriage counsellor
- Social worker
- Mental health support worker
- Probation officer
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Questions people ask
How do I become a case manager?
You usually need experience to become a case manager and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a relevant tertiary qualification in human welfare or psychology studies; a driver licence.
How much does a case manager earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $77,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $68,000 to $86,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a case manager 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.
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