How to become a motorboat operator
Official title: Motorboat operator
Also called: Boatmaster, Launch master, Day skipper, Water taxi operator, Charter boat operator, Jet boat operator, Fishing charter operator
Motorboat operators run small, motor-driven boats that carry only a few passengers. They may do fishing charters, tours and harbour patrols.
Main tasks
- Drive small boats
- Follow water safety rules
- Take people on fishing and recreation trips
- Manage emergencies on the water
- Tell others about hazards
- Secure boats to docks and wharves
- Maintain and check boat engines
- Arrange engine and equipment maintenance
How to become one
You need experience and qualifications to become a motorboat operator. You need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a New Zealand Certificate in Domestic Maritime Operations (Restricted Limits) (Level 4); to meet sea service, medical fitness, eyesight, and fit and proper person requirements; to complete training courses and get the required ancillary certificates; to pass an oral examination and get a Skipper Restricted Limits (SRL) certificate of competency from Maritime New Zealand. Registration body: Maritime New Zealand.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Intermediate certificates in marine craft operation. TEC links this job to study in maritime engineering and operations. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Domestic Maritime Operations (Restricted Limits), NZ Cert in Maritime Crewing, NZ Cert in Marine Engineering Class 6. Usually 9 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $70,000 a year one year after study and $71,000 five years after; 74% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
- Registration or licence: Registration body: Maritime New Zealand (https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/).
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $57,000 to $123,000 a year (median $75,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $139,000 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: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 180 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
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Questions people ask
How do I become a motorboat operator?
You need experience and qualifications to become a motorboat operator. You need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a New Zealand Certificate in Domestic Maritime Operations (Restricted Limits) (Level 4); to meet sea service, medical fitness, eyesight, and fit and proper person requirements; to complete training courses and get the required ancillary certificates; to pass an oral examination and get a Skipper Restricted Limits (SRL) certificate of competency from Maritime New Zealand. Registration body: Maritime New Zealand.
How much does a motorboat operator earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $75,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $57,000 to $123,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a motorboat operator 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.
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