Environment and sustainability

How to become an environmental economist

Official title: Environmental economist

Also called: Natural resource economist, Land economist, Climate change economist, Environmental and climate change economist

Environmental economists study the economic impacts of environmental protection and the use of natural resources.

Main tasks

Study the economy and environmental protection
Predict economic, political and social trends
Research environmental impacts of activities and policies
Check regulations and policy
Collect environmental data and samples
Develop sustainability plans and projects
Promote environmental sustainability and conservation
Create models of environmental conditions

How to become one

You need a qualification to become an environmental economist and experience may be useful. You need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a relevant tertiary qualification in economics and econometrics, environmental studies, commerce or similar area. Other requirements: a Master of Economics or similar; a Master of Environmental Management or similar; a Master of Natural Resources Management and Ecological Engineering or similar; experience in similar work.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

University: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
University: Agriculture & Environment degrees, Offered by 4 universities in New Zealand

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $87,961 to $119,442 a year (median $103,701), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $72,220 a year · Upper: $135,183 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: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Economists: 546 at the 2018 Census and 858 at the 2023 Census (+57.1%). Past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 36 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Economists, 38% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Economists work (2023 Census): Wellington 40.6%, Auckland 26.9%, and Canterbury 8%.

Questions people ask

How do I become an environmental economist?

How much does an environmental economist earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $103,701 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $87,961 to $119,442 a year.

Has the number of people working as an environmental economist grown in New Zealand?

It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong 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 an environmental economist?

Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, 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