How to become a model
Official title: Model
Also called: Brand ambassador
Models wear and display clothing and other products to showcase brands and designers in fashion shows, magazines and commercials. They may also model for photographers and artists.
Main tasks
- Model clothes, accessories and products
- Present products at events and promotions
- Set up products and props
- Research filming and photoshoot locations
- Share updates with managers and agents
- Travel to jobs and events
- Monitor work expenses and payments
How to become one
You learn on the job to become a model. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Other requirements: a portfolio of previous modelling work.
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Most common pay: $59,214 to $83,208 a year (median $71,211), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $95,205 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.
- People employed in the group Models and Sales Demonstrators: 4,896 at the 2018 Census and 3,591 at the 2023 Census (-26.7%). 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 51 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
- In the group Models and Sales Demonstrators, 72% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Models and Sales Demonstrators work (2023 Census): Auckland 29.5%, Canterbury 13.1%, and Wellington 11.9%.
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become a model?
You learn on the job to become a model. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Other requirements: a portfolio of previous modelling work.
How much does a model earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $71,211 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $59,214 to $83,208 a year.
Will AI change the work of a model?
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