Growing, gardening and forestry

How to become a pest control technician

Official title: Pest control technician

Also called: Trapper, Hunter-trapper, Pest controller, Pest control officer, Pest control specialist, Exterminator, Fumigator

Pest control technicians trap and kill animal and insect pests. They may work in homes and buildings or in conservation.

Main tasks

Control pests using chemicals, traps and bait
Inspect buildings and properties for pests
Identify and record pests
Develop and apply pest control plans
Suggest pest control products to clients
Estimate costs for pest control
Treat plants or surfaces with protective chemicals
Clean work areas

How to become one

You usually learn on the job to become a pest control technician and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Other requirements: an entry certificate in pest and weed control; to do entry training in pest and weed control; a driver licence; to pass a medical assessment and drug test; to pass a police check; to be registered with the Pest Management Association of New Zealand; a First Aid Certificate; a firearms licence and hunting permit; a Certified Handler Compliance Certificate and a Controlled Substance Licence.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Entry certificates in pest and weed control. TEC links this job to study in environmental studies. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Pest Operations. Usually 6 to 7 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $50,000 a year one year after study; 53% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $55,000 to $88,000 a year (median $70,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $112,000 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: Increase (TEC). This is 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 980 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers, 21% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers work (2023 Census): Auckland 19.1%, Canterbury 13.8%, and Waikato 11.7%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a pest control technician?

How much does a pest control technician earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $70,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $55,000 to $88,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a pest control technician grown in New Zealand?

It has grown: TEC records an increase 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 pest control technician?

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 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