Electronics and machinery

How to become a mechanical draughter

Official title: Mechanical draughter

Also called: Mechanical draughtsperson, Mechanical drafter, CAD technician, CAD technical officer, Mechanical draftsman, Mechanical engineering draughtsperson, Manufacturing draughtsperson

Mechanical draughters create technical drawings and production plans for the manufacture of specialised mechanical tools, machinery and equipment.

Main tasks

Create drawings of tools, machinery and equipment
Create designs of tools, machinery and equipment
Check details of drawings and designs
Check calculations for accuracy
Discuss projects with clients
Work with staff to plan projects
Supervise staff working on projects

How to become one

You need a qualification to become a mechanical draughter and experience may be useful. You need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a relevant tertiary qualification in mechanical and industrial engineering. Other requirements: experience in similar work.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

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 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).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $68,000 to $108,000 a year (median $86,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $55,000 a year · Upper: $135,000 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: Increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Mechanical Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians: 2,079 at the 2018 Census and 2,535 at the 2023 Census (+21.9%). 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 940 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Mechanical Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians, 16% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Mechanical Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians work (2023 Census): Auckland 35.8%, Canterbury 13.4%, and Waikato 10.9%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a mechanical draughter?

How much does a mechanical draughter earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $86,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $68,000 to $108,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a mechanical draughter 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 mechanical draughter?

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