Specialist health and therapy

How to become a chiropractor

Official title: Chiropractor

Also called: Chiropractic radiologist

Chiropractors treat people with nerve, muscular and skeletal health problems. They may adjust the spine or joints to treat issues like back and neck pain.

Main tasks

Examine patients to assess general physical condition
Gather medical information from patient histories
Diagnose medical conditions
Treat patients using physical therapy techniques
Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals
Record patient medical histories
Advise patients on effects of health conditions or treatments
Analyse test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment

How to become one

You need a qualification to become a chiropractor. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a minimum of 1 year of prerequisite study in basic health sciences approved by the New Zealand College of Chiropractic OR a New Zealand Diploma in Applied Science (Pre-Chiropractic Pathway) (Level 5); a Bachelor of Chiropractic; to pass a police check. Registration body: New Zealand Chiropractic Board.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

University: Allied Health degrees, Offered by 4 universities in New Zealand
Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in other sciences. TEC links this job to study in other science and maths studies. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Applied Science, Dip in Science. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $54,000 a year one year after study and $68,000 five years after; 47% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Registration or licence: Registration body: New Zealand Chiropractic Board (https://www.chiropracticboard.org.nz/).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $175,487 to $214,461 a year (median $194,974), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $156,000 a year · Upper: $233,948 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 Chiropractors and Osteopaths: 948 at the 2018 Census and 1,089 at the 2023 Census (+14.9%). 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 500 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Chiropractors and Osteopaths, 51% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Chiropractors and Osteopaths work (2023 Census): Auckland 40.9%, Canterbury 11.3%, and Bay of Plenty 9.1%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a chiropractor?

How much does a chiropractor earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $194,974 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $175,487 to $214,461 a year.

Has the number of people working as a chiropractor 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 a chiropractor?

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