Shipping, delivery and warehousing

How to become a transportation, storage and distribution manager

Official title: Transportation, storage and distribution manager

Also called: Transport manager, Fleet manager, Warehouse and sales manager, Distribution manager, Stockroom manager, Export manager, Inventory manager

Transportation, storage and distribution managers oversee transportation, storage or distribution activities and staff using organisation and government rules.

Main tasks

Manage staff activities and performance
Develop safety standards and processes
Apply process and policy changes
Inspect facilities and equipment condition and operation
Purchase materials and equipment
Manage work activities
Analyse data to guide decisions
Make transportation changes for sustainability

How to become one

You usually need experience to become a transportation, storage and distribution manager and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a New Zealand Certificate in International Freight Logistics (Level 4); a New Zealand Diploma in International Freight Logistics (Freight Forwarding) (Level 5); a relevant tertiary qualification in business and management or similar area; a driver licence with a special-type vehicle endorsement; to pass a police check.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in management and business studies. TEC links this job to study in business and management. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Business, Dip in Business Studies, Cert in Business Studies, Dip in Business, Dip in Commerce. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $52,000 a year one year after study and $61,000 five years after; 61% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $69,000 to $115,000 a year (median $87,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $56,000 a year · Upper: $156,000 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: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Transport Services Managers: 1,458 at the 2018 Census and 1,485 at the 2023 Census (+1.9%). 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 6,500 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Transport Services Managers, 34% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Transport Services Managers work (2023 Census): Auckland 36.2%, Canterbury 14.5%, and Waikato 9.9%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a transportation, storage and distribution manager?

How much does a transportation, storage and distribution manager earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $87,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $69,000 to $115,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a transportation, storage and distribution manager 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 transportation, storage and distribution 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