How to become a power station and substation electrical technician
Official title: Power station and substation electrical technician
Also called: Power technician, Substation maintainer, High voltage specialist technician, Electrical fitter, Power station electrician, Power system technician, High voltage electrician
Power station and substation electrical technicians inspect, test, service and repair high voltage electrical equipment used in generating stations and substations.
Main tasks
- Inspect high voltage electrical systems
- Test high voltage electrical systems for safety
- Analyse test results to find problems
- Repair electrical wiring, circuits and equipment
- Control power connections during maintenance
- Record repairs and maintenance work
- Read technical instructions and diagrams
- Communicate with workers during repairs
How to become one
You need more than one qualification to become a power station and substation electrical technician. You usuallly need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a New Zealand Certificate in Electricity Supply (Introductory) (Level 2); to do an apprenticeship in electrical engineering OR a New Zealand Certificate in Electricity Supply (Substation Maintenance) (Level 4) OR a New Zealand Certificate in Electricity Supply (Power Technician) (Level 5); a Trainee Limited Certificate or practising licence from the Electricical Workers Registration Board (EWRB). Other requirements: to do a power technician or substation maintainer training course through Transpower GridSkills; a driver licence; to pass a drug test. Registration body: Electrical Workers Registration Board.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Entry certificates in electrical engineering. TEC links this job to study in electrical and electronic engineering and technology. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Electrical Engineering Theory, NZ Cert in Electrical Pre-Trade. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $48,000 a year one year after study and $63,000 five years after; 70% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
- Registration or licence: A Trainee Limited Certificate or practising licence from the Electricical Workers Registration Board (EWRB). Registration body: Electrical Workers Registration Board (https://www.ewrb.govt.nz/).
Pay
- Most common pay: $86,320 to $104,000 a year (median $92,906), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $70,061 a year · Upper: $115,751 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.
Who does this work
- About 99 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
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Questions people ask
How do I become a power station and substation electrical technician?
You need more than one qualification to become a power station and substation electrical technician. You usuallly need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a New Zealand Certificate in Electricity Supply (Introductory) (Level 2); to do an apprenticeship in electrical engineering OR a New Zealand Certificate in Electricity Supply (Substation Maintenance) (Level 4) OR a New Zealand Certificate in Electricity Supply (Power Technician) (Level 5); a Trainee Limited Certificate or practising licence from the Electricical Workers Registration Board (EWRB). Other requirements: to do a power technician or substation maintainer training course through Transpower GridSkills; a driver licence; to pass a drug test. Registration body: Electrical Workers Registration Board.
How much does a power station and substation electrical technician earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $92,906 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $86,320 to $104,000 a year.
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