Accounting and finance

How to become an estimator

Official title: Estimator

Also called: Cost estimator, Pricing estimator, Manufacturing estimator, Fabrication estimator, Building estimator, Construction estimator

Estimators prepare quotes and cost estimates for product manufacturing and building and construction projects, or to decide the price of a product or service.

Main tasks

Estimate costs for products, projects and services
Prepare quotes and cost estimates
Analyse business and financial data
Budget for products and projects
Discuss costs and budgets with staff
Track money and financial details
Create and arrange financial documents
Set up business and budget systems

How to become one

You usually need experience to become an estimator and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a relevant tertiary qualification in building and construction or similar area; a relevant trade qualification; a driver licence.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in other building and construction. TEC links this job to study in building and construction. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Concrete Construction (Commercial and Civil Infrastructure), NZ Cert in Concrete Production. Usually 1.5 to 2 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $67,000 a year one year after study and $94,000 five years after; 86% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in building construction management. TEC links this job to study in building and construction. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Construction, NZ Dip in Architectural Technology. Usually 2 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $63,000 a year one year after study and $88,000 five years after; 80% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $70,000 to $115,000 a year (median $87,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $56,000 a year · Upper: $158,000 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 Accounting Clerks: 20,484 at the 2018 Census and 17,019 at the 2023 Census (-16.9%). 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 2,000 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Accounting Clerks, 87% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Accounting Clerks work (2023 Census): Auckland 41.6%, Canterbury 12.1%, and Wellington 9.9%.

Questions people ask

How do I become an estimator?

How much does an estimator earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $87,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $70,000 to $115,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as an estimator 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 an estimator?

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