How to become a hazardous materials removalist
Official title: Hazardous materials removalist
Also called: Asbestos labourer, Asbestos removal labourer, Asbestos removal worker, Asbestos removal specialist, Waste oil collection and disposal specialist, Labourer
Hazardous materials removalists control or dispose of hazardous materials like asbestos, lead-based paint, waste oil and fuel.
Main tasks
- Dispose of hazardous materials
- Inspect sites for hazardous materials
- Prepare hazardous waste for safe disposal
- Load and unload hazardous materials safely
- Drive trucks and specialised work vehicles
- Mix chemicals needed for clean up work
- Clean contaminated equipment and work sites
- Record safety and environmental information
How to become one
You usually learn on the job to become a hazardous materials removalist and training or experience may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Required: a driver licence with a dangerous goods (DG) endorsement. Other requirements: to do a Site Safe Passport course and get a Site Safety Card; to do an accredited training course and get a Class A or Class B asbestos removal licence; to pass a police check, medical assessment and drug test; a First Aid Certificate; to be a member of WasteMINZ; experience in similar work.
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Most common pay: $63,000 to $96,000 a year (median $76,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $121,000 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 can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- About 270 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
- In the group Other Machine Operators, 29% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Other Machine Operators work (2023 Census): Auckland 35.5%, Waikato 13%, and Canterbury 11%.
Related jobs
- Commercial cleaner
- Caretaker
- Housekeeper
- Laundry worker and drycleaner
- Clothing and textile presser
- Cleaning and washing equipment operator
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Questions people ask
How do I become a hazardous materials removalist?
You usually learn on the job to become a hazardous materials removalist and training or experience may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Required: a driver licence with a dangerous goods (DG) endorsement. Other requirements: to do a Site Safe Passport course and get a Site Safety Card; to do an accredited training course and get a Class A or Class B asbestos removal licence; to pass a police check, medical assessment and drug test; a First Aid Certificate; to be a member of WasteMINZ; experience in similar work.
How much does a hazardous materials removalist earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $76,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $63,000 to $96,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a hazardous materials removalist 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 hazardous materials removalist?
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 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