Growing, gardening and forestry

How to become a crop farmer and manager

Official title: Crop farmer and manager

Also called: Crop manager, Field crop grower, Flower grower, Horticultural contractor, Mixed crop farmer, Vegetable grower, Grape grower

Crop farmers and managers plan and oversee plant crop production on farms and in hothouses.

Main tasks

Plan which crops to grow
Plant seeds and check crop growth
Make sure crops are watered and fertilised
Manage sprinkler systems and frost protection
Arrange picking, grading and transport
Train and supervise workers and contractors
Buy seeds, fertiliser and farm supplies
Maintain and repair farm equipment

How to become one

You usually learn on the job to become a crop farmer or manager and experience and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a driver licence. Other requirements: experience in similar work; to do entry training in horticulture; a New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (Level 3); a New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Production (Level 4); a New Zealand Diploma in Primary Industry Business Management (Level 5); a New Zealand Diploma in Horticulture Production (Level 5); a Bachelor of Commerce (Horticulture); a Bachelor of Agriculture.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in horticulture. TEC links this job to study in horticulture and viticulture. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Horticulture Services, NZ Cert in Horticulture Production. Usually 1 to 1.5 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $66,000 a year one year after study and $76,000 five years after; 94% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
University: Agriculture & Environment degrees, Offered by 4 universities in New Zealand
Certificates and diplomas: 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).; Entry certificates in horticulture. TEC links this job to study in horticulture and viticulture. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Horticulture (General), NZ Cert in Horticulture, Kai Oranga (Kaupae Tuatoru), Mahinga Kai - Te Hoata. Usually 6 to 8 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $48,000 a year one year after study and $53,000 five years after; 49% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $52,000 to $97,000 a year (median $72,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $142,000 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: Increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Crop Farmers: 8,247 at the 2018 Census and 9,111 at the 2023 Census (+10.5%). 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 2,200 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Crop Farmers, 31% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Crop Farmers work (2023 Census): Bay of Plenty 25.5%, Canterbury 12%, and Auckland 11.1%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a crop farmer and manager?

How much does a crop farmer and manager earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $72,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $52,000 to $97,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a crop farmer and manager grown in New Zealand?

It has grown: TEC records an increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of a crop farmer and manager?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

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
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
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