Air and sea transport

How to become a deckhand

Official title: Deckhand

Also called: Deck crew, Deck rating, Ferry hand, Fishing hand, Tug hand, Able seafarer

Deckhands help operate ships and other sailing vessels. They may handle cargo and do routine cleaning and maintenance.

Main tasks

Help operate ships and other vessels
Handle cargo
Secure boats to docks and wharves
Monitor surroundings for hazards
Check equipment to make sure it works
Clean ship areas
Maintain ship equipment
Control pumps and other equipment

How to become one

You learn on the job to become a deckhand and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: an entry certificate in marine craft operation; a New Zealand Certificate in Maritime Crewing (Deck Crew) (Level 4); to meet medical fitness, eyesight, and fit and proper person requirements; a First Aid certificate and Maritime Restricted Radiotelephone Operator’s Certificate (MRROC); to pass an oral examination and get a Qualified Deck Crew Certificate of Competency from Maritime New Zealand. Registration body: Maritime New Zealand.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Intermediate certificates in marine craft operation. TEC links this job to study in maritime engineering and operations. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Domestic Maritime Operations (Restricted Limits), NZ Cert in Maritime Crewing, NZ Cert in Marine Engineering Class 6. Usually 9 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $70,000 a year one year after study and $71,000 five years after; 74% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Registration or licence: Registration body: Maritime New Zealand (https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $64,000 to $115,000 a year (median $88,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $168,000 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.
People employed in the group Deck and Fishing Hands: 2,133 at the 2018 Census and 1,653 at the 2023 Census (-22.5%). 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 840 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Deck and Fishing Hands, 15% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Deck and Fishing Hands work (2023 Census): Auckland 16.7%, Wellington 9.4%, and Canterbury 8.2%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a deckhand?

How much does a deckhand earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $88,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $64,000 to $115,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a deckhand 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.

Will AI change the work of a deckhand?

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

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
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
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
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