How to become a computer, ATM and office machine technician
Official title: Computer, ATM and office machine technician
Also called: ATM technician, Electrical appliance technician, Field service engineer, Printer technician, Computer engineering technician, Office machinery mechanic, Computer systems technician
Computer, ATM and office machine technicians install, maintain and repair electronic office machines and computer equipment like copiers, monitors, hard drives and printers.
Main tasks
- Install electronic office machines and computer equipment
- Talk with customers about equipment problems
- Repair computers, ATMs and office machines
- Replace worn and damaged machine parts
- Find faults by taking equipment apart
- Adjust machines to improve performance
- Take apart and reassemble machines
- Travel to sites for repairs
How to become one
You usually need to do training to become a computer, ATM and office machine technician. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in electrical and electronic engineering and technology or similar area; to pass the electrical appliance serviceperson course and exam; to have an electrical applicance serviceperson practising licence; a driver licence. Registration body: Electrical Workers Registration Board.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in electrical engineering. TEC links this job to study in electrical and electronic engineering and technology. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Electrical Trade, NZ Cert in Electrical Engineering (Electromechanical Maintenance and Repair). Usually 3.5 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $82,000 a year one year after study and $92,000 five years after; 91% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
- Certificates and diplomas: Entry certificates in electrical engineering. TEC links this job to study in electrical and electronic engineering and technology. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Electrical Engineering Theory, NZ Cert in Electrical Pre-Trade. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $48,000 a year one year after study and $63,000 five years after; 70% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
- Registration or licence: Registration body: Electrical Workers Registration Board (https://www.ewrb.govt.nz/).
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $63,000 to $100,000 a year (median $74,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $150,000 a year
- TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $35.58 an hour.
- 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: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 350 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become a computer, ATM and office machine technician?
You usually need to do training to become a computer, ATM and office machine technician. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in electrical and electronic engineering and technology or similar area; to pass the electrical appliance serviceperson course and exam; to have an electrical applicance serviceperson practising licence; a driver licence. Registration body: Electrical Workers Registration Board.
How much does a computer, ATM and office machine technician earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $74,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $63,000 to $100,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a computer, ATM and office machine technician grown in New Zealand?
It has shrunk: TEC records a decrease 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