Electronics and machinery

How to become a mechanical engineering technician

Official title: Mechanical engineering technician

Also called: Aeronautical engineering technician, Aeronautical technician, Building and engineering technician, General mechanical engineering trades worker, Hydraulic controls technician, Mechanical technician, Fluid power technician

Mechanical engineering technicians test, modify, make and adjust machinery and equipment. They assemble and install mechanical devices like tools, engines and machines.

Main tasks

Test machinery and equipment
Repair machinery and equipment
Help engineers with design work
Create drawings of machines and equipment
Check designs to make sure they work
Work out resource needs for projects
Decide how projects are built
Read technical documents to plan work

How to become one

You usually need a qualification to become a mechanical engineering technician and experience may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Mechanical Engineering (Level 3); to do an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering; a New Zealand Certificate in Mechanical Engineering (Trade) (Level 4); an advanced certificate or diploma in mechanical engineering; a relevant tertiary qualification in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, automotive engineering or similar area; experience in similar work; to be registered with Engineering New Zealand; a driver licence.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in aircraft maintenance and aeronautical engineering. TEC links this job to study in aerospace engineering and technology. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Aeronautical Engineering (Aircraft Manufacture), NZ Cert in Aeronautical Engineering (Applied Skills). Usually 2 to 2.5 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $101,000 a year one year after study; 94% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in automotive engineering and mechanics. TEC links this job to study in automotive engineering and technology. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Automotive Engineering, NZ Cert in Heavy Automotive Engineering, NZ Cert in Light Automotive Engineering. Usually 1.5 to 2 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $79,000 a year one year after study and $89,000 five years after; 93% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Certificates and diplomas: Entry certificates in aircraft maintenance and aeronautical engineering. TEC links this job to study in aerospace engineering and technology. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Aeronautical Engineering (Pre-Employment Skills). Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $57,000 a year one year after study and $76,000 five years after; 87% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Entry certificates in automotive engineering and mechanics. TEC links this job to study in automotive engineering and technology. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Automotive Engineering. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $51,000 a year one year after study and $60,000 five years after; 66% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; 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: $61,000 to $98,000 a year (median $76,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $125,000 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 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 7,500 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 engineering technician?

How much does a mechanical engineering technician earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $76,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $61,000 to $98,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a mechanical engineering technician 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 a mechanical engineering technician?

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