How to become a private investigator

Official title: Private investigator

Also called: PI, Private detective, Private eye, Investigator

Private investigators gather information about people or organisations on legal, financial and personal matters. They may investigate suspected crimes, locate missing items and persons, and verify people's backgrounds and statements.

Main tasks

• Investigate suspicious activities
• Do surveillance to gather evidence
• Interview people to collect information
• Search public and court records for information
• Check for criminal history and civil judgments
• Write investigation reports
• Collect and document evidence
• Work with police when needed

How to become one

You need to do training to become a private investigator and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a Certificate of Approval and Private Security Personnel Licence from the Ministry of Justice; a Professional Certified Investigator Certification; to pass a police check; to be 18 years old. Other requirements: experience in security or law enforcement; a relevant tertiary qualification in law studies, justice and law enforcement or similar area.

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Ways in

• Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in legal practice. TEC links this job to study in law studies. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Legal Executive Studies, NZ Dip in Conveyancing. Usually 9 months to 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $63,000 a year one year after study and $71,000 five years after; 89% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Advanced certificates and diplomas in other justice and law enforcement. TEC links this job to study in justice and law enforcement. Qualifications: Cert in Criminal Justice. Usually 6 months.
• Registration or licence: A Certificate of Approval and Private Security Personnel Licence from the Ministry of Justice.

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

• Most common pay: $80,000 to $95,000 a year (median $87,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
• Lower: $65,000 a year · Upper: $120,000 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.
• People employed in the group Security Officers and Guards: 9,378 at the 2018 Census and 10,617 at the 2023 Census (+13.2%). Past change, not a forecast.
• Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

• About 230 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
• In the group Security Officers and Guards, 25% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
• Where people in the group Security Officers and Guards work (2023 Census): Auckland 39.8%, Wellington 13.8%, and Canterbury 11.3%.

Related jobs

• Security management specialist
• Security officer
• Retail loss prevention officer

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Questions people ask

How do I become a private investigator?

You need to do training to become a private investigator and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a Certificate of Approval and Private Security Personnel Licence from the Ministry of Justice; a Professional Certified Investigator Certification; to pass a police check; to be 18 years old. Other requirements: experience in security or law enforcement; a relevant tertiary qualification in law studies, justice and law enforcement or similar area.

How much does a private investigator earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $87,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $80,000 to $95,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a private investigator 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 private investigator?

Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, 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