How to become a court, local government and licence officer
Official title: Court, local government and licence officer
Also called: Court registrar, Clerk of court, Court orderly, Collections registry officer
Court, local government and licence officers do clerical tasks for courts, local councils or government licensing agencies, like drafting council policies and issuing licences.
Main tasks
- Explain laws, rules and application processes
- Check forms and documents for accuracy
- Draft official documents
- Process documents
- Interview people to collect information
- Prepare and issue licences
- Coordinate office and public service activities
- Create guides and public information materials
How to become one
You learn on the job to become a court, local government and licence officer 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 political science and policy studies, law studies or similar area; a driver licence.
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 political science and policy. TEC links this job to study in political science and policy studies. Qualifications: Dip in Border and Biosecurity, Cert in Border and Biosecurity. Usually 6 months to 1 year.
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $62,000 to $87,000 a year (median $72,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $51,000 a year · Upper: $124,000 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 2,200 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Māori cultural adviser
- Compliance manager
- Compliance officer
- Environmental compliance officer
- Regulatory affairs specialist
- Foreign policy officer
Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz
Questions people ask
How do I become a court, local government and licence officer?
You learn on the job to become a court, local government and licence officer 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 political science and policy studies, law studies or similar area; a driver licence.
How much does a court, local government and licence officer earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $72,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $62,000 to $87,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a court, local government and licence officer 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