Infrastructure

How to become a meter reader

Official title: Meter reader

Also called: Metering technician

Meter readers check gas, water and electricity meters in homes and businesses and record the usage for utilities companies.

Main tasks

Read gas, water and power meters
Record meter readings accurately
Enter meter readings into computer systems
Check readings for accuracy and mistakes
Report damaged meters or equipment
Talk with customers about meter readings
Direct customers to the right service
Drive between homes and businesses

How to become one

You learn on the job to become a meter reader. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Other requirements: a driver licence; experience in similar work; to be registered with the Electrical Workers Registration Board.

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Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Median pay: $56,000 a year, a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $78,000 a year
TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $26.92 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: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 310 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Other Clerical and Office Support Workers, 35% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Other Clerical and Office Support Workers work (2023 Census): Auckland 32.5%, Wellington 12.5%, and Canterbury 10%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a meter reader?

How much does a meter reader earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $56,000 a year, before tax.

Has the number of people working as a meter reader 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 meter reader?

Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, 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