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 Engineer | Salary / Wage $ | Location |
---|---|---|
Principal Civil Engineer | 140,000 – 180,000 | Auckland |
Civil Designer | 70,000 – 90,000 | Auckland |
Civil Project Site Engineer | 60,000 – 80,000 | Auckland |
Intermediate Civil Engineer | 80,000 -110,000 | Auckland |
Intermediate Civil Engineer | 75,000+ | Whangarei |
Civil Engineer – Water | 75,000 – 95,000 | Waikato |
Project Engineer Infrastructure | 88,000 – 97,000 | Napier, Hawkes Bay |
Civil Engineer – Heavy Structures | 90,000 – 130,000 | Wellington |
Civil Roading Design Engineer | 100,000 | Wellington |
Senior / Principal Structural Engineer | 90,000 – 150,000 | Wellington |
Senior Civil Engineer | 120,000+ | Christchurch |
Graduate Civil Engineer | 30 per hour | Christchurch |
Civil Engineer – Steel Structures | 30 – 45 per hour | Christchurch |
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).
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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