How to become a navy sailor

Official title: Navy sailor

Also called: Naval rating, Naval rater, Navy seaman

Navy sailors work together to defend their country, keep the peace, patrol borders and provide disaster relief.

Main tasks

• Carry out border patrols and security operations
• Assist in rescues and disaster relief
• Instruct and lead sailors during assignment
• Organise and provide training
• Teach fitness, first aid and combat
• Use and maintain navy equipment
• Manage budgets and resources
• Join parades and ceremonial events

How to become one

You need to do training to become a navy sailor. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Required: to be over 16.5 years old when you apply and over 18 when you finish your training; to complete a training course; to pass a police check; to pass a medical assessment. Other requirements: a driver licence.

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Pay · Past change

• Most common pay: $71,000 to $105,000 a year (median $88,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
• Lower: $56,000 a year · Upper: $124,000 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: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
• People employed in the group Defence Force Members - Other Ranks: 5,454 at the 2018 Census and 3,501 at the 2023 Census (-35.8%). Past change, not a forecast.

Who does this work

• About 500 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
• In the group Defence Force Members - Other Ranks, 18% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
• Where people in the group Defence Force Members - Other Ranks work (2023 Census): Manawatū-Whanganui 37.5%, Auckland 27.2%, and Canterbury 17.1%.

Related jobs

• Army soldier
• Firefighter
• Police officer
• Emergency management adviser
• Forensic specialist
• Emergency medical technician (EMT)

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Questions people ask

How do I become a navy sailor?

You need to do training to become a navy sailor. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Required: to be over 16.5 years old when you apply and over 18 when you finish your training; to complete a training course; to pass a police check; to pass a medical assessment. Other requirements: a driver licence.

How much does a navy sailor earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $88,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $71,000 to $105,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a navy sailor 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.

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

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