Environment and sustainability

How to become an environmental technician

Official title: Environmental technician

Also called: Air quality technician, Ecological technician, Environmental technical officer, Resource quality officer, Water and soil technician, Sampling technician, Technical support officer

Environmental technicians collect samples and carry out tests to help environmental professionals investigate pollution and hazards.

Main tasks

Collect and record environmental samples and data
Carry out tests
Inspect and adjust equipment
Share environmental information
Develop plans and projects to protect the environment
Lead conservation programmes
Give advice about environmental rules and plans
Prepare scientific reports and presentations

How to become one

You usually learn on the job to become an environmental technician and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 3 may be useful. Required: a driver licence. Other requirements: a bachelor's degree in ecology, environmental sustainability or similar area; a relevant tertiary qualification in biological sciences, environmental studies, earth sciences or similar area; experience in similar work.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

University: Science degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
University: Agriculture & Environment degrees, Offered by 4 universities in New Zealand
Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in atmospheric sciences. TEC links this job to study in earth sciences. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Avalanche Risk Management. Usually 4 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $44,000 a year one year after study; 67% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $58,000 to $92,000 a year (median $73,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $107,000 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.
People employed in the group Science Technicians: 4,554 at the 2018 Census and 5,403 at the 2023 Census (+18.6%). 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 350 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Science Technicians, 48% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Science Technicians work (2023 Census): Auckland 29.2%, Canterbury 14.5%, and Waikato 11%.

Questions people ask

How do I become an environmental technician?

How much does an environmental technician earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $73,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $58,000 to $92,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as an environmental technician 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.

Will AI change the work of an environmental technician?

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