Administration and customer services

How to become a facilities manager

Official title: Facilities manager

Also called: Building manager, Asset manager, Facilities coordinator, Regional facilities manager, Facilities and maintenance manager, Facilities supervisor, Technical facilities and service manager

Facilities managers manage buildings and facilities to ensure they are safe and fit for purpose.

Main tasks

Manage buildings so they're safe
Oversee building maintenance and compliance
Manage health and safety risks
Plan for future needs and growth
Manage sustainability of buildings
Manage building purchases or leases
Oversee workspace design projects
Monitor heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems

How to become one

You usually learn on the job to become a facilities manager and experience 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 Diploma in Facilities Management; a Graduate Diploma in Facilities Management; a relevant tertiary qualification in public health studies, business and management, building and construction or similar area; to join a professional organisation like the Facilities Management Association of New Zealand.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

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).; Advanced certificates and diplomas in management and business studies. TEC links this job to study in business and management. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Business, Dip in Business Studies, Cert in Business Studies, Dip in Business, Dip in Commerce. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $52,000 a year one year after study and $61,000 five years after; 61% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Advanced certificates and diplomas in public health. TEC links this job to study in public health studies. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Ambulance Practice, Dip in Community Health Care and Support. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $87,000 a year one year after study; 100% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $60,000 to $103,000 a year (median $78,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $133,000 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: Strong increase (TEC). This is 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 3,900 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Other Hospitality, Retail and Service Managers, 45% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Other Hospitality, Retail and Service Managers work (2023 Census): Auckland 36.9%, Canterbury 13%, and Wellington 11%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a facilities manager?

How much does a facilities manager earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $78,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $60,000 to $103,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a facilities manager 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 a facilities manager?

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 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