How to become a quarry operator
Official title: Quarry operator
Also called: Quarry machine operator, Plant operator, Quarry worker, Mining support worker
Quarry operators use drills and related machinery to extract and process minerals, rocks, gravel and sand from quarries. They may crush and screen rocks, and drive excavators and dump trucks.
Main tasks
- Use drills and machinery to extract materials
- Break rock using quarry machinery
- Drive trucks and other heavy vehicles
- Move rock and quarry materials safely
- Operate blasting and detonation equipment
- Cut stone and masonry materials
- Inspect stone for quality and faults
- Guide workers during quarry operations
How to become one
You usually need training and experience to become a quarry operator and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Required: a Class 2, 3, 4 or 5 driver licence; to pass a drug test. Other requirements: a Wheels, Track and Rollers Course (WTR) endorsement; experience in similar work; a New Zealand Certificate in Mining and Quarrying (Level 2) or similar; to pass a medical assessment; to pass a police check; a First Aid Certificate.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in mining and resources engineering. TEC links this job to study in process and resources engineering. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Mining and Quarrying (Supervision). Usually 1.5 years.
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $71,000 to $101,000 a year (median $85,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $60,000 a year · Upper: $116,000 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: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 290 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become a quarry operator?
You usually need training and experience to become a quarry operator and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Required: a Class 2, 3, 4 or 5 driver licence; to pass a drug test. Other requirements: a Wheels, Track and Rollers Course (WTR) endorsement; experience in similar work; a New Zealand Certificate in Mining and Quarrying (Level 2) or similar; to pass a medical assessment; to pass a police check; a First Aid Certificate.
How much does a quarry operator earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $85,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $71,000 to $101,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a quarry operator grown in New Zealand?
It has shrunk: TEC records a decrease 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