How to become an occupational therapy assistant
Official title: Occupational therapy assistant
Also called: Therapy assistant, Health assistant
Occupational therapy assistants do routine tasks for occupational therapists like preparing equipment and patient treatment rooms.
Main tasks
- Assist occupational therapists
- Prepare equipment and treatment rooms
- Show patients how to do physical exercises
- Help people with impairments to learn skills
- Run social and therapeutic activities
- Communicate with whānau and caregivers
- Work with health care professionals
- Support patient dignity
How to become one
You usually learn on the job to become an occupational therapy assistant and experience may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Level 2 or 3); to do entry training in community client care; a New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Level 4); to do an apprenticeship in community client care.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: 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
- Most common pay: $75,735 to $83,057 a year (median $79,396), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $72,074 a year · Upper: $86,719 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: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 150 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
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Questions people ask
How do I become an occupational therapy assistant?
You usually learn on the job to become an occupational therapy assistant and experience may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Level 2 or 3); to do entry training in community client care; a New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Level 4); to do an apprenticeship in community client care.
How much does an occupational therapy assistant earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $79,396 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $75,735 to $83,057 a year.
Has the number of people working as an occupational therapy assistant grown in New Zealand?
It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong 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