Electrician apprenticeships in New Zealand
Kaimahi hiko
Electricians install, inspect and repair electrical systems and wiring in homes, commercial buildings and on construction sites.
Last checked .
How long did your apprenticeship take?
Put it on the record. Anonymous, about two minutes.
Add your timelineHow long is an electrician apprenticeship, and what does it pay?
An electrician apprenticeship in New Zealand takes 3–4 years. Once qualified, the job most commonly pays $66,000–$107,000 a year, starting at $50,000 a year and reaching $133,000 a year with experience. The work also requires registration with the Electrical Workers Registration Board.
- How long it takes
- 3–4 years
- Pay when starting out
- $50,000 a year
- Most common pay
- $66,000–$107,000 a year
- Experienced
- $133,000 a year
- School qualifications
- NCEA Level 2 is the usual entry point for the study or training.
- Registration
- Required. Electrical Workers Registration Board
Those pay ranges are for the job, not for an apprentice. While you are training your legal floor is the training minimum wage of $19.16 an hour if you are 20 or over and your agreement requires at least 60 credits a year of industry training; otherwise it is the adult minimum of $23.95. Plenty of employers pay well above either. How apprentice pay works →
What do you need to start an electrician apprenticeship?
An employer willing to take you on, first of all — everything else follows the job. NCEA Level 2 is the usual entry point for the study or training. Beyond that, what an electrician apprenticeship asks for is:
- An apprenticeship in electrical engineering or similar.
- A Trainee Limited Certificate from the Electrical Workers Registration Board before you start work as an apprentice.
In every trade the order is the same: you find the employer first, then the training is arranged around the job. How to get an apprenticeship →
From Trainee Limited Certificate to EWRB registration, step by step: Electrical apprenticeships in NZ →
Which New Zealand employers take on electrician apprentices?
We list 4 of them, across 4 regions: Auckland, Canterbury, Northland, Wellington. Each was verified against the company's own website, and each listing carries a name, a trade and a region only — this site holds no reviews or ratings of any of them.
Pay, duration and entry requirements quoted from Tahatū Career Navigator — Electrician, read 2026-09-18. Wage floors from Employment New Zealand, checked 2026-11-01.