Education

How to become a nanny or child carer

Official title: Nanny or child carer

Also called: Early childhood educator, Home educator, Au pair, After school carer, Nanny, Child carer, Babysitter

Nannies and child carers provide care and supervision for infants, toddlers and children in private homes. They may organise activities for children and provide support and advice to parents.

Main tasks

Provide care for and supervise infants
Keep children safe at all times
Organise games and activities
Prepare meals and snacks
Teach everyday life skills
Teach good hygiene habits
Follow daily routines and schedules
Provide basic care when needed

How to become one

You usually learn on the job to become a nanny or child carer and experience or a qualification may be useful. You usually don't need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Required: experience working with children. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 3); a New Zealand Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 4); a New Zealand Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 5); a driver licence; to complete a First Aid course; to pass a police check.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in curriculum and education. TEC links this job to study in curriculum careers and education studies. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Early Childhood Education and Care. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $42,000 a year one year after study; 50% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Intermediate certificates in community client care. TEC links this job to study in human welfare. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Health and Wellbeing (Social and Community Services), NZ Cert in Health and Wellbeing (Advanced Care and Support). Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $52,000 a year one year after study and $53,000 five years after; 62% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Median pay: $56,000 a year, a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $91,000 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: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Child Carers: 10,548 at the 2018 Census and 5,964 at the 2023 Census (-43.5%). 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 2,500 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Child Carers, 88% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Child Carers work (2023 Census): Auckland 35.4%, Wellington 14.7%, and Canterbury 12.7%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a nanny or child carer?

How much does a nanny or child carer 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 nanny or child carer 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 nanny or child carer?

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