Social work and counselling

How to become a social and community service manager

Official title: Social and community service manager

Also called: Social services manager, Community group manager, Aged care manager, Community services manager, Health and welfare services manager, Disability services manager, Community arts worker

Social and community service managers oversee social service programmes and community organisations. They may manage community social services staff.

Main tasks

Manage social service programmes and teams
Create plans to support communities
Check how well services are working
Supervise and support staff
Develop rules and policies for services
Create budgets and financial reports
Keep records of services and activities
Solve problems and complaints

How to become one

You usually need experience to become a social and community service manager and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 or University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; an intermediate certificate in community client care; to do an apprenticeship in community client care; a relevant tertiary qualification in human welfare or similar area; a master's degree in social work; a driver licence; to pass a police check.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Intermediate certificates in community client care. TEC links this job to study in human welfare. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Health and Wellbeing (Social and Community Services), NZ Cert in Health and Wellbeing (Advanced Care and Support). Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $52,000 a year one year after study and $53,000 five years after; 62% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $74,839 to $98,651 a year (median $90,714), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $58,964 a year · Upper: $122,464 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: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Health and Welfare Services Managers: 2,388 at the 2018 Census and 4,599 at the 2023 Census (+92.6%). 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 1,100 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Health and Welfare Services Managers, 75% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Health and Welfare Services Managers work (2023 Census): Auckland 32.5%, Canterbury 13.4%, and Wellington 11.2%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a social and community service manager?

How much does a social and community service manager earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $90,714 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $74,839 to $98,651 a year.

Has the number of people working as a social and community service manager grown in New Zealand?

It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong 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 social and community service manager?

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 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