Average Business Manager Salary in New Zealand for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Business Manager 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 a Business Manager Make in New Zealand?

A Business Manager working in New Zealand will typically earn around 138,700 NZD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 61,200 NZD to the highest average salary of 218,500 NZD.

Average Annual Salary
138,700 NZD
Average Monthly Salary
11,558 NZD

Lowest Annual Salary
61,200 NZD
Lowest Monthly Salary
5,100 NZD

Highest Annual Salary
218,500 NZD
Highest Monthly Salary
18,208 NZD

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

Business Manager 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 Business Manager Salaries in New Zealand

So we've looked at the average salaries a Business Manager will earn in New Zealand. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Business Manager can earn between 61,200 NZD and 218,500 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 a Business Manager in New Zealand is 146,900 NZD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 146,900 NZD, and 50% of the population earn more than 146,900 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 Business Manager salary in New Zealand, 25% of the population are earning less than 94,500 NZD while 75% of the population earn more than 94,500 NZD.

75% of the population earn less than 195,500 NZD, and 25% of the population earn more than 195,500 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.

Business Manager 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 business manager 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. A Business Manager in New Zealand that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 71,600 NZD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Business Manager salary would increase to 95,000 NZD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Business Manager, the average salary would be 142,100 NZD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 172,300 NZD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Business Manager with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 185,900 NZD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Business Manager with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 204,900 NZD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
71,600 NZD
2-5 Years +34%
95,000 NZD
5-10 Years +48%
142,100 NZD
10-15 Years +22%
172,300 NZD
15-20 Years +9%
185,900 NZD
20+ Years +8%
204,900 NZD

Business Manager 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 a Business Manager 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. A Business Manager in New Zealand with a high school education can earn an average salary of 85,800 NZD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Business Manager in New Zealand with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 102,700 NZD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Business Manager in New Zealand with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 150,100 NZD.

  • Master's Degree. A Business Manager in New Zealand with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 195,200 NZD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
85,800 NZD
Certificate or Diploma +18%
102,700 NZD
Bachelor's Degree +45%
150,100 NZD
Master's Degree +31%
195,200 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.

Business Manager 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 business manager will earn an average of 141,000 NZD, while a female business manager will earn around 132,000 NZD.

This means that a male business manager earns approximately 7% more than a female business manager for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in New Zealand

Male
141,000 NZD
Female -7%
132,000 NZD

Business Manager 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 a Business Manager in New Zealand is around 13% every 15 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 = ( 13 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 10%

What this means is that a Business Manager in New Zealand can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 10% 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%

Business Manager 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.

A Business Manager is a high bonus based job, with 86% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

14% 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 5% to 9%.

Received Bonus
86%
No Bonus
14%

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 a Business Manager

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Business Manager in New Zealand.

Job Title Category Salary
Assistant Business Development Manager Business Planning 130,500 NZD
Assistant Merchandise Planner Business Planning 72,700 NZD
Business Advisor Business Planning 121,800 NZD
Business Analyst Business Planning 114,900 NZD
Business Consultant Business Planning 117,100 NZD
Business Continuity Associate Business Planning 71,700 NZD
Business Developer Business Planning 72,700 NZD
Business Development Analyst Business Planning 86,100 NZD
Business Development Associate Business Planning 61,800 NZD
Business Development Coordinator Business Planning 67,600 NZD
Business Development Director Business Planning 160,600 NZD
Business Development Engineer Business Planning 95,500 NZD
Business Development Executive Business Planning 118,900 NZD
Business Development Manager Business Planning 158,900 NZD
Business Development Specialist Business Planning 115,600 NZD
Business Operations Specialist Business Planning 117,100 NZD
Business Process Writer Business Planning 65,900 NZD
Business Systems Analyst Business Planning 117,100 NZD
Capacity Planner Business Planning 84,800 NZD
Capacity Planning Supervisor Business Planning 109,700 NZD
Change Communications Analyst Business Planning 114,900 NZD
Change Control Analyst Business Planning 112,700 NZD
Change Impact Analyst Business Planning 109,000 NZD
Contracts Executive Business Planning 111,700 NZD
Corporate Strategy Analyst Business Planning 116,400 NZD
Cost Control Engineer Business Planning 77,100 NZD
Cost Controller Business Planning 83,300 NZD
Cost Estimator Business Planning 79,000 NZD
Data Executive Business Planning 62,600 NZD
Data Manager Business Planning 87,800 NZD
Data Processing Manager Business Planning 107,700 NZD
Development Researcher Business Planning 84,600 NZD
Director of Business Development Business Planning 169,700 NZD
Director of Production Planning Business Planning 146,700 NZD
Due Diligence Analyst Business Planning 128,200 NZD
Estimating Manager Business Planning 130,400 NZD
General Manager Business Planning 141,000 NZD
Incident Handler Business Planning 82,200 NZD
Incident Specialist Business Planning 95,900 NZD
Lean Consultant Business Planning 84,300 NZD
Manager Business Planning 151,800 NZD
Marketing and Business Development Manager Business Planning 142,300 NZD
Materials Planner Business Planning 49,300 NZD
Merchandise Assistant Business Planning 47,400 NZD
Merchandise Controller Business Planning 51,300 NZD
Merchandise Planner Business Planning 55,200 NZD
Operations Analyst Business Planning 109,000 NZD
Operations Manager Business Planning 127,700 NZD
Operations Research Analyst Business Planning 74,000 NZD
Planning and Reporting Manager Business Planning 132,000 NZD
Planning Director Business Planning 152,700 NZD
Project Administrator Business Planning 73,500 NZD
Project Manager Business Planning 114,300 NZD
Project Planner Business Planning 77,000 NZD
Research Assistant Business Planning 61,800 NZD
Research Engineer Business Planning 69,200 NZD
Research Officer Business Planning 60,800 NZD
Risk Management Specialist Business Planning 114,300 NZD
Scholarship Coordinator Business Planning 63,200 NZD
Store Planner Business Planning 59,200 NZD
Strategy Director Business Planning 163,500 NZD
Top Research and Development Executive Business Planning 168,700 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 147,900 NZD
Christchurch 142,100 NZD
Hamilton 130,500 NZD
Rotorua 130,500 NZD
Wellington 137,100 NZD

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