Factory machinery

How to become a mixing machine operator

Official title: Mixing machine operator

Also called: Mixer operator, Blender operator, Chemical production operator

Mixing machine operators operate industrial mixing equipment to make paint, cosmetics and other products.

Main tasks

Operate industrial mixing machines
Mix substances to make products
Measure ingredients
Load materials into equipment
Monitor machines
Collect samples for testing
Weigh finished products
Measure finished products

How to become one

You usually learn on the job to become a mixing machine operator and training may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a driver licence with a forklift (F) endorsement.

See the full Tahatū profile

Pay · Past change

Most common pay: $62,000 to $111,000 a year (median $81,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $145,000 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.

Who does this work

About 430 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).

Questions people ask

How do I become a mixing machine operator?

How much does a mixing machine operator earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $81,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $62,000 to $111,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a mixing machine operator 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.

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

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