Metal and plastics

How to become a metal machinist

Official title: Metal machinist

Also called: Fitter and turner, CNC operator, Toolmaker, Machining engineer

Metal machinists use lathes, milling machines and grinders to produce precision metal parts and instruments.

Main tasks

Produce metal parts and instruments
Use lathes, machines and grinders
Programme machines for tasks
Monitor machines
Calculate part sizes and measurements
Measure finished parts
Assemble machine parts
Maintain machines and equipment

How to become one

You usually need to do an apprenticeship to become a metal machinist. 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); to pass a medical assessment and drug test; to pass a police check.

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: $59,000 to $90,000 a year (median $72,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $107,000 a year
TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $34.62 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: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Metal Fitters and Machinists: 10,674 at the 2018 Census and 7,701 at the 2023 Census (-27.9%). 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 350 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Metal Fitters and Machinists, 6% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Metal Fitters and Machinists work (2023 Census): Auckland 26.9%, Waikato 15.8%, and Canterbury 13.3%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a metal machinist?

How much does a metal machinist earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $72,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $59,000 to $90,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a metal machinist grown in New Zealand?

It has shrunk: TEC records a decrease 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 metal machinist?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

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
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
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