Metal and plastics

How to become a hand grinding and polishing worker

Official title: Hand grinding and polishing worker

Also called: Metal polisher, Concrete polisher, Aluminium polisher

Hand grinding and polishing workers use tools to grind, sand or polish metal, wood, stone, plastic or glass materials or products.

Main tasks

Grind materials using tools
Polish materials using tools
Smooth metal surfaces and edges
Reshape metal pieces
Measure pieces
Draw guidelines on materials
Clean workpieces
Remove materials from equipment

How to become one

You usually learn on the job to become a hand polishing and grinding worker and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a New Zealand Certificate in Mechanical Engineering (Level 3).

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Entry certificates in mechanical engineering. TEC links this job to study in mechanical and industrial engineering and technology. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Mechanical Engineering. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $51,000 a year one year after study and $62,000 five years after; 67% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $54,000 to $96,000 a year (median $69,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $141,000 a year
TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $33.17 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: Increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Metal Casting, Forging and Finishing Trades Workers: 981 at the 2018 Census and 1,092 at the 2023 Census (+11.3%). 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 170 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Metal Casting, Forging and Finishing Trades Workers, 22% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Metal Casting, Forging and Finishing Trades Workers work (2023 Census): Auckland 28.4%, Canterbury 17.6%, and Waikato 15.2%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a hand grinding and polishing worker?

How much does a hand grinding and polishing worker earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $69,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $54,000 to $96,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a hand grinding and polishing worker 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 a hand grinding and polishing worker?

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