Energy and chemicals

How to become a wind turbine technician

Official title: Wind turbine technician

Also called: Wind farm maintenance technician, Wind farm technician, Maintenance technician

Wind turbine technicians install, inspect, operate and repair wind turbines. They may respond to emergency repair callouts.

Main tasks

Install wind turbines
Repair wind turbines and power systems
Inspect wind turbine parts for damage
Replace faulty parts
Test electrical systems for safety
Test mechanical systems for operation
Climb wind turbines to reach work areas
Follow health and safety rules

How to become one

You need a qualification or experience to become a wind turbine technician. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a relevant tertiary qualification in electrical engineering or mechanical engineering; experience in similar work; a driver licence.

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Ways in

Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in electrical engineering. TEC links this job to study in electrical and electronic engineering and technology. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Electrical Trade, NZ Cert in Electrical Engineering (Electromechanical Maintenance and Repair). Usually 3.5 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $82,000 a year one year after study and $92,000 five years after; 91% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in mechanical engineering. TEC links this job to study in mechanical and industrial engineering and technology. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Mechanical Engineering (Trade), NZ Cert in Dairy Systems (Engineering), NZ Cert in Composites. Usually 2.5 to 3.5 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $85,000 a year one year after study and $95,000 five years after; 95% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
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).; Entry certificates in mechanical engineering. TEC links this job to study in mechanical and industrial engineering and technology. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Mechanical Engineering. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $51,000 a year one year after study and $62,000 five years after; 67% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · AI and this job

Most common pay: $70,000 to $85,000 a year (median $80,453), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $51,500 a year · Upper: $107,000 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.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 63 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Other Building and Engineering Technicians, 20% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Other Building and Engineering Technicians work (2023 Census): Auckland 32.6%, Waikato 12.2%, and Canterbury 11.3%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a wind turbine technician?

How much does a wind turbine technician earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $80,453 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $70,000 to $85,000 a year.

Will AI change the work of a wind turbine technician?

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 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