How to become a web developer
Official title: Web developer
Also called: Full stack developer, Front-end developer, Back-end developer, UX/UI developer, Developer, Coder, Intranet developer, Web editor
Web developers manage the development of websites and web-based applications. They oversee the coding, design and layout to create efficient and user-friendly websites.
Main tasks
- Design websites and software applications
- Write computer programming code
- Improve website user experience
- Collect and analyse website data
- Update website content
- Improve data security
- Test websites and software applications
- Learn new tools and technologies
How to become one
You usually learn on the job to become a web developer and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in computer science or similar area; to learn on the job through internships and graduate recruitment programmes; a relevant industry-based certification in web development; knowledge of CSS and HTML5; experience in similar work.
Ways in
- University: Computing & IT degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Most common pay: $69,000 to $121,000 a year (median $93,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $52,000 a year · Upper: $150,000 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.
- People employed in the group Multimedia Specialists and Web Developers: 3,258 at the 2018 Census and 2,820 at the 2023 Census (-13.4%). Past change, not a forecast.
- Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- About 1,600 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
- In the group Multimedia Specialists and Web Developers, 30% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Multimedia Specialists and Web Developers work (2023 Census): Auckland 38.8%, Wellington 18.5%, and Canterbury 13.2%.
Related jobs
- Software developer
- Test analyst
- Computer engineer
- Information technology manager
- Security management specialist
- Computer systems analyst
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Questions people ask
How do I become a web developer?
You usually learn on the job to become a web developer and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in computer science or similar area; to learn on the job through internships and graduate recruitment programmes; a relevant industry-based certification in web development; knowledge of CSS and HTML5; experience in similar work.
How much does a web developer earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $93,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $69,000 to $121,000 a year.
Will AI change the work of a web developer?
Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, 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