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What apprentices are paid in New Zealand
There are two legal wage floors and most people signing an apprenticeship do not know which one applies to them. The gap between them is $4.79 an hour — about $9,960 a year on a 40-hour week.
The two rates
| Rate | Per hour | 40-hour week | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult minimum wage | $23.95 | $958.00 | Everyone 16 and over who is not on a starting-out or training rate. |
| Training minimum wage | $19.16 | $766.40 | Workers 20 or over whose employment agreement requires at least 60 credits a year of an industry training programme. This is the rate that usually applies to apprentices. |
Both rates took effect on 1 April 2026. The training rate is fixed at 80% of the adult rate, so it moves whenever the adult rate does.
When the training rate does not apply to you
The training minimum wage is narrower than employers sometimes assume. You must be paid at least the adult minimum wage if any of these is true:
- You are under 20. Then you are on the starting-out or adult rate, depending on your situation.
- Your employment agreement does not actually require 60 credits a year of an industry training programme. The requirement has to be in the agreement — an informal understanding is not enough.
- You supervise or train other workers. Employment New Zealand is explicit that the training rate stops applying the moment you do.
If you are being paid $19.16 and none of the conditions are met, you are being underpaid, and the shortfall is recoverable. Employment New Zealand runs a free service for exactly this.
What the trades pay once you are qualified
These are the ranges Tahatū Career Navigator publishes for each occupation — what the job pays, not what an apprentice earns while training. They are the reason the training years are worth sitting through.
| Trade | Starting out | Most common | Experienced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | $50,000 | $66,000–$107,000 | $133,000 |
| Plumber | $50,000 | $56,000–$91,000 | $108,000 |
| Carpenter and builder | $50,000 | $52,000–$84,000 | $103,000 |
| Automotive technician and mechanic | $24/hr | $28–$41/hr | $50/hr |
| Welder | $50,000 | $62,000–$97,000 | $119,000 |
| Fitter and turner | $54,000 | $69,000–$113,000 | $146,000 |
| Refrigeration and air-conditioning technician | $24/hr | $29–$48/hr | $60/hr |
| Painter and decorator | $24/hr | $24–$36/hr | $45/hr |
| Chef | $24/hr | $25–$37/hr | $45/hr |
| Hairdresser and barber | $24/hr | $24–$33/hr | $43/hr |
What to check before you sign
- Which wage floor your agreement puts you on, and whether the 60-credit requirement is actually written in.
- Whether there is a written pay-progression schedule, or whether rises are left to a future conversation.
- How block courses and off-job training are paid.
- Who pays your course fees and tool costs, and whether any of it is repayable if you leave early.
- Whether your employer is claiming Apprenticeship Boost — $500 a month towards your wages for your first year.
Common questions
What is the minimum wage for an apprentice in New Zealand?
$19.16 an hour, if you are 20 or over and your employment agreement requires you to do at least 60 credits a year of an industry training programme. That is the training minimum wage, set at 80% of the adult minimum wage. If you do not meet both conditions, you must be paid at least the adult minimum wage of $23.95 an hour.
Can an apprentice be paid less than the minimum wage?
No. The training minimum wage is a legal floor, not a discount an employer can apply at will. If you supervise or train other workers, the training rate does not apply to you at all and you must be paid at least the adult minimum wage.
Does apprentice pay go up each year?
Not automatically by law. The legal floor is the same in year one and year four. Pay rises during an apprenticeship come from your employment agreement or from renegotiating, which is why the pay-progression terms are worth reading before you sign.
Do apprentices get paid for block courses?
Time spent at off-job training that your employer requires you to attend is work time. Check how your employment agreement treats block courses before you start — this is one of the most common points of confusion.
Wage rates and the training-wage conditions from Employment New Zealand — Minimum wage rates and types, checked 2026-09-18. Occupation pay ranges from Tahatū Career Navigator, checked 2026-09-18; each trade page links to the page its figures came from. Weekly figures are the hourly rate × 40, before tax.