New Zealand apprenticeships, without the guesswork
What you will actually be paid, how long each trade takes, who runs apprenticeships now that the 2026 reforms have landed, and 42 New Zealand employers who take apprentices on.
Nobody sets out to pick an apprenticeship badly. The problem is that the basic facts — the wage floor, the years, the licence you need at the end — are scattered across four government sites, two of which changed name this year. This site puts them in one place and shows where each one came from.
Done an apprenticeship? Rate it.
The pay, the training, whether anyone actually taught you anything. It takes about a minute, you can stay anonymous, and it is the single most useful thing on this site for whoever signs up next.
Start with the money
If you are 20 or over and your employment agreement requires at least 60 credits a year of an industry training programme, your legal floor is the training minimum wage of $19.16 an hour — not the adult rate of $23.95. Most apprentices are paid above the floor, and the gap between the two is the single biggest thing to check before you sign.
What apprentices are paid in New Zealand →
Trades
Pay, duration and entry requirements for each trade, quoted from Tahatū Career Navigator.
Electrician
3–4 years · $66,000–$107,000 a year
Plumber
3–4 years · $56,000–$91,000 a year
Carpenter and builder
3–4 years · $52,000–$84,000 a year
Automotive technician and mechanic
0–4 years · $28–$41 an hour
Welder
0–3 years · $62,000–$97,000 a year
Fitter and turner
3–4 years · $69,000–$113,000 a year
Refrigeration and air-conditioning technician
0–3 years · $29–$48 an hour
Painter and decorator
0–3 years · $24–$36 an hour
Chef
0–1 year · $25–$37 an hour
Hairdresser and barber
0–3 years · $24–$33 an hour
Guides
What apprentices are paid
The training minimum wage, who it applies to, and when you are owed the adult rate instead.
Who runs apprenticeships now
Te Pūkenga is gone, the WDCs are gone, and eight Industry Skills Boards took over in January 2026.
Apprenticeship Boost
$500 a month to your employer for your first year. Worth knowing when you ask to be taken on.
How to get an apprenticeship
You need the employer first. What that actually takes, and who to call once you have one.
Employers
42 New Zealand businesses that take on apprentices, across 7regions. Each listing is name, trade and region only, verified against the company's own website.
Browse every employer → · By region →
Every review here is written by an apprentice.We publish what they wrote, a person reads each one before it goes up, and we don't take an honest review down because an employer asked. Our editorial policy sets out exactly what we will and will not publish. Add yours →
Wage rates from Employment New Zealand, checked 2026-09-18. Trade figures from Tahatū Career Navigator. Full sources on each page.