Highest-Paying Jobs in New Zealand
The 75 best-paid careers in New Zealand we track, ranked by average annual salary. Surgeon tops the list at $303,426 per year.
Showing amounts in USD (USD default; source data is NZD). FX as of Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:02:31 +0000. Convert currencies
| # | Job | Average / yr | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surgeon | $303,426 | $25,276/mo |
| 2 | Radiologist | $299,396 | $24,930/mo |
| 3 | Psychiatrist | $275,790 | $22,973/mo |
| 4 | Physician | $200,365 | $16,697/mo |
| 5 | Dentist | $196,910 | $16,409/mo |
| 6 | Corporate Attorney | $184,244 | $15,373/mo |
| 7 | Cloud Architect | $180,789 | $15,085/mo |
| 8 | Investment Banker | $176,183 | $14,682/mo |
| 9 | Site Reliability Engineer | $160,637 | $13,415/mo |
| 10 | Product Manager | $158,334 | $13,185/mo |
| 11 | DevOps Engineer | $147,971 | $12,321/mo |
| 12 | Physician Assistant | $146,243 | $12,206/mo |
| 13 | Actuary | $145,668 | $12,149/mo |
| 14 | Nurse Practitioner | $144,516 | $12,033/mo |
| 15 | Optometrist | $141,062 | $11,746/mo |
| 16 | Aerospace Engineer | $139,910 | $11,688/mo |
| 17 | Data Engineer | $137,031 | $11,400/mo |
| 18 | Lawyer | $135,880 | $11,343/mo |
| 19 | Management Consultant | $131,849 | $10,997/mo |
| 20 | Sales Manager | $130,698 | $10,882/mo |
| 21 | Data Scientist | $123,213 | $10,249/mo |
| 22 | AI Engineer | $123,213 | $10,249/mo |
| 23 | Veterinarian | $119,183 | $9,961/mo |
| 24 | Software Engineer | $117,455 | $9,788/mo |
| 25 | Frontend Developer | $117,455 | $9,788/mo |
| 26 | Backend Developer | $117,455 | $9,788/mo |
| 27 | Full-Stack Developer | $117,455 | $9,788/mo |
| 28 | Civil Engineer | $114,577 | $9,558/mo |
| 29 | Chemical Engineer | $114,577 | $9,558/mo |
| 30 | School Principal | $114,577 | $9,558/mo |
| 31 | UX Designer | $112,849 | $9,385/mo |
| 32 | Marketing Manager | $112,274 | $9,385/mo |
| 33 | Financial Advisor | $112,274 | $9,385/mo |
| 34 | Mechanical Engineer | $111,698 | $9,327/mo |
| 35 | Electrical Engineer | $111,698 | $9,327/mo |
| 36 | Project Manager | $109,970 | $9,155/mo |
| 37 | Database Administrator | $109,970 | $9,155/mo |
| 38 | Psychologist | $109,395 | $9,097/mo |
| 39 | Professor | $108,243 | $9,039/mo |
| 40 | Financial Analyst | $105,940 | $8,809/mo |
| 41 | Biomedical Engineer | $104,789 | $8,752/mo |
| 42 | Network Engineer | $104,213 | $8,694/mo |
| 43 | Pharmacist | $103,061 | $8,579/mo |
| 44 | Web Developer | $101,910 | $8,521/mo |
| 45 | Operations Manager | $101,910 | $8,521/mo |
| 46 | Industrial Engineer | $101,910 | $8,521/mo |
| 47 | Physical Therapist | $99,607 | $8,291/mo |
| 48 | QA Engineer | $99,607 | $8,291/mo |
| 49 | Environmental Engineer | $99,607 | $8,291/mo |
| 50 | Architect | $99,031 | $8,233/mo |
| 51 | Business Analyst | $96,152 | $8,003/mo |
| 52 | Occupational Therapist | $96,152 | $8,003/mo |
| 53 | Data Analyst | $94,425 | $7,888/mo |
| 54 | Registered Nurse | $93,273 | $7,773/mo |
| 55 | Accountant | $93,273 | $7,773/mo |
| 56 | HR Manager | $91,546 | $7,658/mo |
| 57 | Dental Hygienist | $89,243 | $7,427/mo |
| 58 | Systems Administrator | $88,667 | $7,370/mo |
| 59 | Recruiter | $83,485 | $6,967/mo |
| 60 | Auditor | $82,334 | $6,852/mo |
| 61 | Real Estate Agent | $81,182 | $6,794/mo |
| 62 | Chef | $73,697 | $6,161/mo |
| 63 | Copywriter | $73,697 | $6,161/mo |
| 64 | Plumber | $71,394 | $5,930/mo |
| 65 | Electrician | $69,091 | $5,758/mo |
| 66 | Paralegal | $67,364 | $5,642/mo |
| 67 | Social Media Manager | $67,364 | $5,642/mo |
| 68 | Graphic Designer | $66,788 | $5,585/mo |
| 69 | Video Editor | $66,788 | $5,585/mo |
| 70 | HVAC Technician | $66,213 | $5,527/mo |
| 71 | Teacher | $63,334 | $5,297/mo |
| 72 | IT Support Specialist | $61,606 | $5,124/mo |
| 73 | Carpenter | $59,879 | $5,009/mo |
| 74 | Photographer | $58,728 | $4,894/mo |
| 75 | Welder | $57,231 | $4,779/mo |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the highest-paying job in New Zealand?
- Of the roles we track, Surgeon is the highest paid in New Zealand, with an average salary of about $527,000 per year.
- What are the top 3 highest-paying jobs in New Zealand?
- The top three on this list are Surgeon ($527,000), Radiologist ($520,000), and Psychiatrist ($479,000) per year.
- How many high-paying careers are covered for New Zealand?
- This ranking covers 75 careers with real salary data in New Zealand, all shown in NZD and refreshed automatically.
- What does a typical top career pay in New Zealand?
- The median of this ranked list is Psychologist at roughly $190,000 per year — a useful midpoint for the better-paid roles in New Zealand.
- How wide is the pay gap among high-paying jobs in New Zealand?
- Surgeon at the top earns about $527,000 while Welder at the bottom of this list averages $99,400 — roughly a 430% spread across the ranked roles.
- Are these salaries before or after tax?
- Figures are gross (pre-tax) annual averages in NZD. Use the Pay by Role salary calculator for a simplified take-home estimate.