How to become a digital forensics analyst
Official title: Digital forensics analyst
Also called: Incident response specialist, Electronic crime analyst, Cyber crime analyst, Cyber crime investigator, Information security analyst, Cyber security and digital forensics analyst, Digital forensics technician
Digital forensics analysts investigate computer and internet crimes by recovering information from digital devices and networks. They may examine evidence and report findings to police.
Main tasks
- Investigate cyber crimes
- Recover data from digital devices and networks
- Analyse digital evidence
- Write reports for police
- Analyse network, computer and data security
- Maintain legal knowledge
- Write technical documents
- Maintain computer software and equipment
How to become one
You usually need experience and a qualification to become a digital forensics analyst. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in computer science, information systems or similar area; experience in similar work; a relevant industry-based certification; to pass a police check.
Ways in
- University: Computing & IT degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Most common pay: $86,500 to $123,886 a year (median $104,387), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $61,000 a year · Upper: $143,385 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.
- People employed in the group Database and Systems Administrators, and ICT Security Specialists: 5,169 at the 2018 Census and 6,858 at the 2023 Census (+32.7%). Past change, not a forecast.
- Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- About 12 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
- In the group Database and Systems Administrators, and ICT Security Specialists, 41% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Database and Systems Administrators, and ICT Security Specialists work (2023 Census): Auckland 39.7%, Wellington 21.5%, and Canterbury 11.6%.
Related jobs
- Information security analyst
- Database administrator
- Systems administrator
- Information security engineer
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Questions people ask
How do I become a digital forensics analyst?
You usually need experience and a qualification to become a digital forensics analyst. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in computer science, information systems or similar area; experience in similar work; a relevant industry-based certification; to pass a police check.
How much does a digital forensics analyst earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $104,387 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $86,500 to $123,886 a year.
Will AI change the work of a digital forensics analyst?
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, 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