Energy and chemicals

How to become a wellhead pumper

Official title: Wellhead pumper

Also called: Gas or petroleum operator, Oil and gas well treatment operator, Oil, Gas and pipe tester, Petroleum and gas refining and pumping operator, Wellhead repairer, Wellhead operator

Wellhead pumpers use power pumps and other equipment to pipe oil or gas from wells in oil fields.

Main tasks

Control pumps to move oil and gas
Measure oil, gas and water pumped
Read gauges and screens
Set up tools, machines and equipment
Check and monitor equipment for problems
Repair tools, machines and equipment
Keep work areas safe

How to become one

You need to train on the job to become a wellhead pumper and a qualification and experience may be useful. You usually don't need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Reticulated Gas Pipelines (Level 3); a New Zealand Certificate in Reticulated Gas Pipelines (Level 4 or 5); experience in similar work; a driver licence with a special type endorsement; to pass a drug test.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in fire technology and rescue services. TEC links this job to study in other engineering studies. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Engineering. Usually 2 years.

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Median pay: $96,000 a year, a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $206,000 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: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Chemical, Gas, Petroleum and Power Generation Plant Operators: 1,326 at the 2018 Census and 1,632 at the 2023 Census (+23.1%). 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 45 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Chemical, Gas, Petroleum and Power Generation Plant Operators, 26% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Chemical, Gas, Petroleum and Power Generation Plant Operators work (2023 Census): Auckland 27.3%, Waikato 16%, and Canterbury 12%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a wellhead pumper?

How much does a wellhead pumper earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $96,000 a year, before tax.

Has the number of people working as a wellhead pumper 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 wellhead pumper?

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