Clothing, footwear and fabrics

How to become a hand cutter

Official title: Hand cutter

Also called: Fabric cutter, Glass cutter, Material cutter, Stone cutter, Fur cutter, Leather cutter, Rubber cutter

Hand cutters use hand tools or hand-held power tools to cut and trim manufactured products and materials like fabric, stone, glass and rubber.

Main tasks

Cut products and materials
Use hand and hand-held power tools
Measure materials and products
Mark cut lines
Position patterns on equipment and materials
Trim excess material
Shape metal pieces
Label finished pieces

How to become one

You usually learn on the job to become a hand cutter and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Glass Processing (Level 4) or similar; a New Zealand Certificate in Apparel and Fashion Technology (Level 3) or similar; to pass a police check; to pass a medical assessment and drug test.

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).; Entry certificates in manufacturing engineering. TEC links this job to study in manufacturing engineering and technology. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Manufacturing. Usually 4 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $36,000 a year one year after study; 27% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay

Most common pay: $54,422 to $65,883 a year (median $60,033), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $71,733 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.

Questions people ask

How do I become a hand cutter?

How much does a hand cutter earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $60,033 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $54,422 to $65,883 a year.

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