How to become a finance analyst
Official title: Finance analyst
Also called: Business finance analyst, Commercial analyst, Senior finance officer, Finance officer, Financial analyst, Financial business analyst, Principal financial analyst
Finance analysts review an organisation's spending and finances for completeness, accuracy and compliance by analysing budgets and accounting reports.
Main tasks
- Analyse budgets and financial data
- Prepare financial documents, reports and budgets
- Check financial information is correct
- Share financial information with management
- Examine financial records
- Discuss business strategies with managers
- Identify ways to improve productivity
- Create business guidelines and policies
How to become one
You usually need a qualification to become a finance analyst and experience may be useful. You usually need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a bachelor's degree in banking and finance, economics, accounting, law or similar area; experience in similar work; a Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification OR a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) qualification; to register with the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) OR the Accountants and Tax Agents Institute of New Zealand (ATAINZ).
Ways in
- University: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
- University: Law & Justice degrees, Offered by 5 universities in New Zealand
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $73,000 to $122,000 a year (median $93,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $60,000 a year · Upper: $159,000 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: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 2,400 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Payroll manager
- Payroll consultant
- Accountant and auditor
- Credit analyst
- Investment analyst
- Financial risk specialist
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Questions people ask
How do I become a finance analyst?
You usually need a qualification to become a finance analyst and experience may be useful. You usually need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a bachelor's degree in banking and finance, economics, accounting, law or similar area; experience in similar work; a Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification OR a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) qualification; to register with the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) OR the Accountants and Tax Agents Institute of New Zealand (ATAINZ).
How much does a finance analyst earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $93,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $73,000 to $122,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a finance analyst grown in New Zealand?
It has shrunk: TEC records a decrease in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
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
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