Production and buying

How to become an industrial production manager

Official title: Industrial production manager

Also called: Production planner, Technical manager, Quality manager, Factory manager, Production operations manager, Plant manager

Industrial production managers plan and direct work activities and resources to make products that meet budget, quality and supply demands.

Main tasks

Manage production processes
Set production goals, timetables and budgets
Plan and direct production to meet goals
Make sure products meet quality standards
Monitor factory safety standards
Order materials and equipment
Manage equipment repairs and upgrades
Develop new products and processes

How to become one

You usually need experience to become an industrial production manager and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a relevant tertiary qualification in manufacturing, engineering and technology, mechanical and industrial engineering, business and management or similar area; to be certified by the NZ Association for Operations and Supply Chain Professionals (NZPICS).

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in other manufacturing, engineering and technology. TEC links this job to study in manufacturing engineering and technology. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Furniture, NZ Cert in Signmaking. Usually 2 to 3 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $63,000 a year one year after study and $78,000 five years after; 93% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in other mechanical and industrial engineering and technology. TEC links this job to study in mechanical and industrial engineering and technology. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Mechanical Building Services (Trade). Usually 4 years.
Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in management and business studies. TEC links this job to study in business and management. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Business, Dip in Business Studies, Cert in Business Studies, Dip in Business, Dip in Commerce. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $52,000 a year one year after study and $61,000 five years after; 61% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Advanced certificates and diplomas in other mechanical and industrial engineering and technology. TEC links this job to study in mechanical and industrial engineering and technology. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Engineering. Usually 2 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $56,000 a year one year after study; 57% 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 · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $81,000 to $131,000 a year (median $102,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $64,000 a year · Upper: $168,000 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: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Production Managers: 9,183 at the 2018 Census and 9,852 at the 2023 Census (+7.3%). 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 6,400 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Production Managers, 19% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Production Managers work (2023 Census): Auckland 30.8%, Canterbury 14.4%, and Waikato 11%.

Questions people ask

How do I become an industrial production manager?

How much does an industrial production manager earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $102,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $81,000 to $131,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as an industrial production manager 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 an industrial production manager?

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