How to become a cooling and freezing equipment operator
Official title: Cooling and freezing equipment operator
Also called: Industrial refrigeration technician, Refrigeration service engineer, Refrigeration service technician, Transport refrigeration service technician, Refrigeration plant operator
Cooling and freezing equipment operators maintain and operate cooling and freezing units and refrigerators to cool and freeze food, blood plasma and chemicals.
Main tasks
- Use cooling and freezing equipment
- Cool and freeze plasma and chemicals
- Monitor temperature gauges
- Monitor equipment
- Adjust controls to maintain conditions
- Measure ingredients and substances
- Weigh finished products
How to become one
You usually need to do an apprenticeship to become a cooling and freezing equipment operator. You usually need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: to do an apprenticeship in refrigeration, heating and air conditioning; a New Zealand Certificate in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (Trade) (Level 4); an Approved Filler Test Certificate; to have completed the Electrical Service Technician (EST) course and examination; a Trainee Limited Certificate or practising licence from the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB); to be registered with the EWRB; a driver licence; to pass a drug test; to pass a police check.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in refrigeration, heating and air conditioning. TEC links this job to study in electrical and electronic engineering and technology. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (Trade). Usually 4 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $99,000 a year one year after study and $105,000 five years after; 94% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $62,000 to $97,000 a year (median $79,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $126,000 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: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 1,500 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Boiler operator
- Extrusion operator
- Rolling machine operator
- Press machine operator
- Lathe operator
- Machine setter
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Questions people ask
How do I become a cooling and freezing equipment operator?
You usually need to do an apprenticeship to become a cooling and freezing equipment operator. You usually need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: to do an apprenticeship in refrigeration, heating and air conditioning; a New Zealand Certificate in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (Trade) (Level 4); an Approved Filler Test Certificate; to have completed the Electrical Service Technician (EST) course and examination; a Trainee Limited Certificate or practising licence from the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB); to be registered with the EWRB; a driver licence; to pass a drug test; to pass a police check.
How much does a cooling and freezing equipment operator earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $79,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $62,000 to $97,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a cooling and freezing equipment operator 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