New Zealand Civil Engineer Salaries

Salaries are annual unless otherwise stated.

Salary and wage information for New Zealand professions is compiled regularly by analysis of New Zealand jobs advertised in major publications.

Job titles in this occupation vary and some examples are assets engineer, consulting engineer, hydraulics engineer and stormwater engineer. Civil engineers can also work as asset managers for local councils.

A typical starting salary for a new graduate is around $60,000 to $70,000. With several years’ experience you can expect to earn between $75,000 and $120,000 a year. Experienced senior civil engineers can earn up to $200,000.

Civil Engineers are currently on New Zealand’s long-term skills shortage list and the Construction & Infrastructure Skill Shortage List. According to the engineers’ professional body, Engineering New Zealand, the median salary for civil engineers in New Zealand, is around $95,000.

According to Hayes 2020 report, New Zealand’s engineering market remains busy across the civil and structural sectors, especially for housing developments in Wellington & the outskirts of Auckland.

Nationwide, civil engineers with experience in roads, rail, tunnelling or water are required and in Christchurch civil engineers with 12D modelling knowledge is in demand.

Civil Engineer Salaries / Wages in 2020

Civil EngineerSalary / Wage $Location
Principal Civil Engineer140,000 – 180,000Auckland
Civil Designer70,000 – 90,000Auckland
Civil Project Site Engineer60,000 – 80,000Auckland
Intermediate Civil Engineer80,000 -110,000Auckland
Intermediate Civil Engineer75,000+Whangarei
Civil Engineer – Water75,000 – 95,000Waikato
Project Engineer Infrastructure88,000 – 97,000Napier, Hawkes Bay
Civil Engineer – Heavy Structures90,000 – 130,000Wellington
Civil Roading Design Engineer100,000Wellington
Senior / Principal Structural Engineer90,000 – 150,000Wellington
Senior Civil Engineer120,000+Christchurch
Graduate Civil Engineer30 per hourChristchurch
Civil Engineer – Steel Structures30 – 45 per hourChristchurch

For comparison, the average hourly wage in New Zealand for the quarter ending 31 March 2020 was $33.20 according to Statistics New Zealand. This would give an annual average salary of around $65,600, working standard full-time hours (38 hours).

Looking for a new job?

Be sure to read our guide: Things you MUST do when writing a New Zealand CV/Resume to help boost your chances of getting a job interview.

One thought on “New Zealand Civil Engineer Salaries”

  1. hello new zealand,

    i wish to immigrate with my family to new zealand and i would like to know if you need my main profession which is: oceanografer – it is oceanolog engineering degree (ocean research). my second profession is: swimming trainer.

    thank you very much in advance to your answer.

    igor kuksa

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