Average Advertising Copywriter Salary in New Zealand for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Advertising Copywriter salary for 2024 in New Zealand and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the New Zealand dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the NZD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an Advertising Copywriter Make in New Zealand?

An Advertising Copywriter working in New Zealand will typically earn around 83,000 NZD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 41,700 NZD to the highest average salary of 130,500 NZD.

Average Annual Salary
83,000 NZD
Average Monthly Salary
6,916 NZD

Lowest Annual Salary
41,700 NZD
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,475 NZD

Highest Annual Salary
130,500 NZD
Highest Monthly Salary
10,875 NZD

These are average salaries for an Advertising Copywriter in New Zealand and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Advertising Copywriter to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Advertising Copywriter salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Advertising Copywriter Salaries in New Zealand

So we've looked at the average salaries an Advertising Copywriter will earn in New Zealand. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Advertising Copywriter can earn between 41,700 NZD and 130,500 NZD on average in New Zealand. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Advertising Copywriter in New Zealand is 85,700 NZD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 85,700 NZD, and 50% of the population earn more than 85,700 NZD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Advertising Copywriter salary in New Zealand, 25% of the population are earning less than 55,300 NZD while 75% of the population earn more than 55,300 NZD.

75% of the population earn less than 114,900 NZD, and 25% of the population earn more than 114,900 NZD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Advertising Copywriter Salary by Experience Level in New Zealand

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average advertising copywriter salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Advertising Copywriter in New Zealand that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 47,800 NZD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Advertising Copywriter salary would increase to 66,100 NZD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Advertising Copywriter, the average salary would be 86,800 NZD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 109,000 NZD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Advertising Copywriter with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 114,900 NZD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Advertising Copywriter with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 123,800 NZD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
47,800 NZD
2-5 Years +42%
66,100 NZD
5-10 Years +31%
86,800 NZD
10-15 Years +23%
109,000 NZD
15-20 Years +6%
114,900 NZD
20+ Years +10%
123,800 NZD

Advertising Copywriter Salary by Education Level in New Zealand

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Advertising Copywriter in New Zealand based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. An Advertising Copywriter in New Zealand with a high school education can earn an average salary of 59,700 NZD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. An Advertising Copywriter in New Zealand with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 65,700 NZD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Advertising Copywriter in New Zealand with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 98,000 NZD.

  • Master's Degree. An Advertising Copywriter in New Zealand with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 121,800 NZD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
59,700 NZD
Certificate or Diploma +16%
65,700 NZD
Bachelor's Degree +46%
98,000 NZD
Master's Degree +23%
121,800 NZD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in New Zealand is around 40,500 to 122,000 NZD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Advertising Copywriter Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In New Zealand, a male advertising copywriter will earn an average of 86,600 NZD, while a female advertising copywriter will earn around 83,700 NZD.

This means that a male advertising copywriter earns approximately 3% more than a female advertising copywriter for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in New Zealand

Male
86,600 NZD
Female -3%
83,700 NZD

Advertising Copywriter Average Pay Raise in New Zealand

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Advertising Copywriter in New Zealand is around 10% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in New Zealand is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that an Advertising Copywriter in New Zealand can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in New Zealand for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in New Zealand.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
2%
Energy
4%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
8%
Travel
1%
Construction
3%
Education
5%

Advertising Copywriter Bonus and Incentive Rates in New Zealand

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Advertising Copywriter is a low bonus based job, with 33% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

67% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
33%
No Bonus
67%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in New Zealand earn approximately 5% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
97,900 NZD
Private Sector -5%
93,100 NZD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Advertising Copywriter

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Advertising Copywriter in New Zealand.

Job Title Category Salary
Art Director Publishing and Printing 95,400 NZD
Art Supervisor Publishing and Printing 80,400 NZD
Artist Publishing and Printing 90,900 NZD
Assistant Editor Publishing and Printing 66,400 NZD
Associate Content Management Specialist Publishing and Printing 90,300 NZD
Associate Editor Publishing and Printing 74,500 NZD
Binder and Finisher Publishing and Printing 40,700 NZD
Bindery Supervisor Publishing and Printing 54,100 NZD
Circulations Director Publishing and Printing 132,000 NZD
Color Matcher Publishing and Printing 48,200 NZD
Color Technician Publishing and Printing 46,200 NZD
Commissioning Editor Publishing and Printing 77,400 NZD
Communications Editor Publishing and Printing 79,600 NZD
Content Copywriter Publishing and Printing 84,600 NZD
Content Management Assistant Publishing and Printing 73,200 NZD
Content Publisher Publishing and Printing 76,800 NZD
Content Writer Publishing and Printing 84,800 NZD
CopyWriter Publishing and Printing 83,800 NZD
Corporate Print Center Specialist Publishing and Printing 66,100 NZD
Curator Publishing and Printing 69,700 NZD
DTP Operator Publishing and Printing 73,200 NZD
Editor Publishing and Printing 86,400 NZD
Electronic Publisher Publishing and Printing 86,100 NZD
Fashion Subeditor Publishing and Printing 86,600 NZD
Media Design Manager Publishing and Printing 148,300 NZD
Media Planner Publishing and Printing 93,100 NZD
Photographer Publishing and Printing 72,000 NZD
Planning and Supply Manager Publishing and Printing 153,700 NZD
Print Production Coordinator Publishing and Printing 73,100 NZD
Print Production Manager Publishing and Printing 156,200 NZD
Printing Press Operator Publishing and Printing 70,100 NZD
Production Editor Publishing and Printing 78,500 NZD
Proofreader Publishing and Printing 72,700 NZD
Publisher Publishing and Printing 91,700 NZD
Publishing and Printing Coordinator Publishing and Printing 64,400 NZD
Publishing and Printing Manager Publishing and Printing 157,600 NZD
Publishing and Printing Supervisor Publishing and Printing 124,500 NZD
Publishing Specialist Publishing and Printing 100,200 NZD
Reporter Publishing and Printing 109,700 NZD
Technical Writer Publishing and Printing 80,500 NZD
Technical Writing Manager Publishing and Printing 123,000 NZD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in New Zealand, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Auckland 99,100 NZD
Christchurch 88,600 NZD
Hamilton 79,600 NZD
Rotorua 81,000 NZD
Wellington 91,700 NZD

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