How to become a compliance officer
Official title: Compliance officer
Also called: Assessment and compliance officer, Risk and compliance officer, Compliance and privacy officer, Compliance adviser, Environmental compliance officer, Audit and debt officer, Company secretary
Compliance officers make sure organisations operate legally and ethically. They oversee compliance reporting, review policies and advise on possible risks and legal requirements.
Main tasks
- Make sure businesses follow laws and rules
- Check licenses and permits are correct
- Take payments for goods and services
- Oversee compliance reporting
- Oversee hiring and recruitment processes
- Check buildings, equipment and supplies meet rules
- Make sure financial records follow rules
- Help others to understand laws and rules
How to become one
You usually need a qualification to become a compliance officer and experience may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in justice and law enforcement, law studies, business and management or similar area; experience in similar work.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in legal practice. TEC links this job to study in law studies. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Legal Executive Studies, NZ Dip in Conveyancing. Usually 9 months to 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $63,000 a year one year after study and $71,000 five years after; 89% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; 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 other justice and law enforcement. TEC links this job to study in justice and law enforcement. Qualifications: Cert in Criminal Justice. Usually 6 months.
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $71,000 to $107,000 a year (median $88,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $59,000 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: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 2,700 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Māori cultural adviser
- Compliance manager
- Environmental compliance officer
- Regulatory affairs specialist
- Court, local government and licence officer
- Foreign policy officer
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Questions people ask
How do I become a compliance officer?
You usually need a qualification to become a compliance officer and experience may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in justice and law enforcement, law studies, business and management or similar area; experience in similar work.
How much does a compliance officer earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $88,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $71,000 to $107,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a compliance officer grown in New Zealand?
It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong 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