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Fitter and turner apprenticeships in New Zealand
Kaiwaihanga pūhiko me te mīhini
Fitters build, modify and maintain engines, turbines and machines used in construction, mining and manufacturing.
The facts
- How long it takes
- 3–4 years
- Pay when starting out
- $54,000 a year
- Most common pay
- $69,000–$113,000 a year
- Experienced
- $146,000 a year
- School qualifications
- NCEA Level 2 if you are still at school.
- Registration
- Not required for this trade.
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 you need to start
- An apprenticeship in mechanical engineering.
- The New Zealand Certificate in Mechanical Engineering (Trade) (Level 4) or equivalent.
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 →
Employers listed in fitter and turner work (4)
New Zealand businesses in this trade that take on apprentices. Name, trade and region only — this site holds no reviews or ratings.
Pay, duration and entry requirements quoted from Tahatū Career Navigator — Fitter and turner, read 2026-09-18. Wage floors from Employment New Zealand, checked 2026-09-18.