Sports, exercise and recreation

How to become a recreation instructor

Official title: Recreation instructor

Also called: Outdoor recreation instructor, Outdoor instructor, Outdoor pursuit instructor, Outdoor adventure instructor, Adventure challenge instructor, Bungy jump master, Outdoor adventure leader

Recreation instructors plan and direct recreational activities for groups at sports centres, parks, schools, and health care and aged care facilities.

Main tasks

Enforce rules or regulations
Promote products, services, or programmes
Organise recreational activities or events
Gather information in order to provide services to clients
Monitor recreational facility operations
Administer first aid
Prepare operational reports or records
Explain regulations, policies, or procedures

How to become one

You usually learn on the job to become a recreation instructor and a qualification may be useful. You usually don't need specific NCEA levels for this job, but NCEA Level 2 may be useful. Required: to pass a police check. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in sport and recreation; a driver licence.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in sport and recreation activities. TEC links this job to study in sport and recreation. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Outdoor Experiences, NZ Cert in Sport, Exercise and Leisure Operations. Usually 6 to 11 months.
Certificates and diplomas: Intermediate certificates in sport and recreation activities. TEC links this job to study in sport and recreation. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Outdoor and Adventure Education (Multi-skilled), Cert in Sport and Recreation, NZ Cert in Diving (Supervision). Usually 6 months to 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $41,000 a year one year after study and $56,000 five years after; 36% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $55,000 to $92,000 a year (median $69,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $126,000 a year
TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $33.17 an hour.
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: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Outdoor Adventure Guides: 2,241 at the 2018 Census and 2,823 at the 2023 Census (+26%). 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 1,800 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Outdoor Adventure Guides, 41% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Outdoor Adventure Guides work (2023 Census): Auckland 19.2%, Otago 13.8%, and Canterbury 13.7%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a recreation instructor?

How much does a recreation instructor earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $69,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $55,000 to $92,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a recreation instructor grown in New Zealand?

It has held steady: TEC records the number of people doing this job as steady between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of a recreation instructor?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

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
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
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