How to become a textile cutting machine operator
Official title: Textile cutting machine operator
Also called: Fabric cutter, Clothing cutter, Sample cutter, Garment cutter, Garment pattern cutter, Textile products cutting worker, Upholstery cutter
Textile cutting machine operators use machines to cut textiles used for making products like clothing, carpets, curtains and upholstery.
Main tasks
- Use machines to cut textiles
- Set machine controls for accurate cuts
- Position patterns on fabric and materials
- Feed fabric through cutting machines
- Cut fabrics to required shapes
- Inspect cut pieces for quality
- Monitor machine during cutting
- Programme machines for cutting
How to become one
You usually learn on the job to become a textile cutting machine operator and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a New Zealand Certificate in Apparel and Fashion Technology (Level 4); a driver licence with a forklift endorsement.
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $53,000 to $77,000 a year (median $64,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $88,000 a year
- TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $30.77 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: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 260 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Hand sewer
- Textile dyeing machine operator
- Textile machine operator
- Textile winding machine operator
- Patternmaker
- Hand cutter
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Questions people ask
How do I become a textile cutting machine operator?
You usually learn on the job to become a textile cutting machine operator and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a New Zealand Certificate in Apparel and Fashion Technology (Level 4); a driver licence with a forklift endorsement.
How much does a textile cutting machine operator earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $64,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $53,000 to $77,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a textile cutting machine 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