How to become a vending machine technician
Official title: Vending machine technician
Also called: Vending machine repairer, Equipment services technician
Vending machine technicians install, service and repair coin operated vending or amusement machines like arcade games, slot machines, and drink and snack dispensers.
Main tasks
- Install vending machines
- Service and repair vending machines
- Inspect machines for damage and faults
- Test vending machines
- Travel to sites for repairs
- Collect money from vending machines
- Record repair and maintenance work
- Document daily service activities
How to become one
You need to do training to become a vending machine technician. You usually need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: to pass the Electrical Appliance Serviceperson course and exam; to have an Electrical Applicance Serviceperson practising licence. Other requirements: a Trainee Limited Certificate from the Electrical Workers Registration Board; a New Zealand Certificate in Electrotechnology (Level 3); a New Zealand Certificate in Electrical Engineering (Electromechanical Maintenance and Repair (Level 4); to do an apprenticeship in electrical engineering; a driver licence. Registration body: Electrical Workers Registration Board.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Entry certificates in electrical engineering. TEC links this job to study in electrical and electronic engineering and technology. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Electrical Engineering Theory, NZ Cert in Electrical Pre-Trade. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $48,000 a year one year after study and $63,000 five years after; 70% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
- Registration or licence: To have an Electrical Applicance Serviceperson practising licence. Registration body: Electrical Workers Registration Board (https://www.ewrb.govt.nz/).
Pay · Past change
- Median pay: $58,000 a year, a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $134,000 a year
- TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $27.88 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: Increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 93 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Safety engineer
- Validation engineer
- Quality control analyst
- Maintenance supervisor
- Appliance service technician
- Maintenance engineer
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Questions people ask
How do I become a vending machine technician?
You need to do training to become a vending machine technician. You usually need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: to pass the Electrical Appliance Serviceperson course and exam; to have an Electrical Applicance Serviceperson practising licence. Other requirements: a Trainee Limited Certificate from the Electrical Workers Registration Board; a New Zealand Certificate in Electrotechnology (Level 3); a New Zealand Certificate in Electrical Engineering (Electromechanical Maintenance and Repair (Level 4); to do an apprenticeship in electrical engineering; a driver licence. Registration body: Electrical Workers Registration Board.
How much does a vending machine technician earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $58,000 a year, before tax.
Has the number of people working as a vending machine technician grown in New Zealand?
It has grown: TEC records an increase 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