How to become a fencer
Official title: Fencer
Also called: Farm fencer, Fencing contractor
Fencers prepare the ground and construct and repair fences, barriers or walls made of timber, metal, wire or other materials.
Main tasks
- Construct fences, barriers and walls
- Repair fences, barriers and walls
- Prepare the ground for constructions
- Measure fence lines and work areas
- Position fence posts and panels correctly
- Check fences are straight and aligned
- Pour material around constructions
- Choose safe locations for fence installation
How to become one
You usually learn on the job to become a fencer and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but NCEA Level 2 may be useful. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Fencing (Level 3); a New Zealand Certificate in Fencing (Level 4); to pass a drug and alcohol test; a driver licence and access to a vehicle; to be able to drive a tractor.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Entry certificates in agricultural, environmental and soil science. TEC links this job to study in agriculture. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Primary Industry Skills. Usually 4 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $47,000 a year one year after study and $57,000 five years after; 51% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Median pay: $64,000 a year, a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $99,000 a year
- TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $30.77 an hour.
- 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 Fencers: 2,382 at the 2018 Census and 2,118 at the 2023 Census (-11.1%). 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 1,800 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
- In the group Fencers, 6% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Fencers work (2023 Census): Waikato 17.7%, Canterbury 14%, and Auckland 12.3%.
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become a fencer?
You usually learn on the job to become a fencer and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but NCEA Level 2 may be useful. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Fencing (Level 3); a New Zealand Certificate in Fencing (Level 4); to pass a drug and alcohol test; a driver licence and access to a vehicle; to be able to drive a tractor.
How much does a fencer earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $64,000 a year, before tax.
Has the number of people working as a fencer 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 a fencer?
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