Average Director of Photography Salary in New Zealand for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Director of Photography 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 Director of Photography Make in New Zealand?

A Director of Photography working in New Zealand will typically earn around 95,500 NZD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 43,800 NZD to the highest average salary of 150,100 NZD.

Average Annual Salary
95,500 NZD
Average Monthly Salary
7,958 NZD

Lowest Annual Salary
43,800 NZD
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,650 NZD

Highest Annual Salary
150,100 NZD
Highest Monthly Salary
12,508 NZD

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

Director of Photography 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 Director of Photography Salaries in New Zealand

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Director of Photography can earn between 43,800 NZD and 150,100 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 Director of Photography in New Zealand is 100,400 NZD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 100,400 NZD, and 50% of the population earn more than 100,400 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 Director of Photography salary in New Zealand, 25% of the population are earning less than 63,500 NZD while 75% of the population earn more than 63,500 NZD.

75% of the population earn less than 130,500 NZD, and 25% of the population earn more than 130,500 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.

Director of Photography 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 director of photography 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 Director of Photography in New Zealand that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 51,900 NZD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Director of Photography salary would increase to 75,400 NZD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Director of Photography, the average salary would be 101,400 NZD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 123,000 NZD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Director of Photography with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 128,400 NZD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Director of Photography with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 140,200 NZD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
51,900 NZD
2-5 Years +42%
75,400 NZD
5-10 Years +31%
101,400 NZD
10-15 Years +23%
123,000 NZD
15-20 Years +6%
128,400 NZD
20+ Years +10%
140,200 NZD

Director of Photography 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 Director of Photography 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 Director of Photography in New Zealand with a high school education can earn an average salary of 66,900 NZD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Director of Photography in New Zealand with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 75,900 NZD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Director of Photography in New Zealand with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 112,700 NZD.

  • Master's Degree. A Director of Photography in New Zealand with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 139,100 NZD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
66,900 NZD
Certificate or Diploma +16%
75,900 NZD
Bachelor's Degree +46%
112,700 NZD
Master's Degree +23%
139,100 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.

Director of Photography 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 director of photography will earn an average of 95,900 NZD, while a female director of photography will earn around 92,900 NZD.

This means that a male director of photography earns approximately 3% more than a female director of photography for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in New Zealand

Male
95,900 NZD
Female -3%
92,900 NZD

Director of Photography 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 Director of Photography in New Zealand is around 11% every 16 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 = ( 11 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Director of Photography in New Zealand can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% 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%

Director of Photography 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 Director of Photography is a moderate bonus based job, with 58% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

42% 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 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus
58%
No Bonus
42%

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 Director of Photography

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

Job Title Category Salary
3D Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 81,900 NZD
3D Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 81,700 NZD
3D Generalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 76,000 NZD
3D Visualization Specialist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 81,400 NZD
Acrobatic Rigger Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 55,100 NZD
Actor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 115,600 NZD
Art Administrator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 85,800 NZD
Art Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 111,700 NZD
Art Lead Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 114,900 NZD
Associate Media Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 93,600 NZD
Associate Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 128,200 NZD
Broadcast and Sound Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 79,000 NZD
Broadcast Associate Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 63,900 NZD
Broadcast News Analyst Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 87,200 NZD
Broadcast Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 54,700 NZD
Broadcasting Journalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 102,700 NZD
Broadcasting Presenter Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 117,100 NZD
Camera Equipment Repairer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 62,100 NZD
Camera Operator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 53,300 NZD
Cartoonist / Animator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 81,000 NZD
CAS Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 98,000 NZD
Censorship Executive Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 103,600 NZD
Choreographer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 74,900 NZD
Colorist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 46,200 NZD
Communications Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 128,400 NZD
Correspondent Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 95,500 NZD
Dance Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 92,900 NZD
Dancer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 79,600 NZD
Disc Jockey Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 58,800 NZD
Editorial Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 50,300 NZD
Events Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 88,400 NZD
Graphic Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 60,000 NZD
Illustrator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 68,400 NZD
Industrial Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 54,200 NZD
Instructional Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 57,800 NZD
Journalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 107,700 NZD
Makeup Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 59,700 NZD
Media Design Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 160,600 NZD
Media Equipment Operator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 49,200 NZD
Media Operations Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 116,400 NZD
Media Planner Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 82,200 NZD
Media Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 109,000 NZD
Media Product Development Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 152,700 NZD
Media Production Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 142,300 NZD
Media Program Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 171,300 NZD
Media Relation Executive Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 168,700 NZD
Media Relations Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 152,700 NZD
Media Sales Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 175,200 NZD
Movement and Dance Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 89,800 NZD
Multimedia Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 61,400 NZD
Multimedia Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 60,000 NZD
Music Consultant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 83,300 NZD
Musician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 70,800 NZD
News Associate Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 78,500 NZD
News Reporter Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 109,000 NZD
Post Production Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 54,300 NZD
Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 142,300 NZD
Product Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 58,800 NZD
Product Planner Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 75,500 NZD
Production Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 76,800 NZD
Production Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 51,400 NZD
Production Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 128,200 NZD
Production Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 48,300 NZD
Program Researcher Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 97,400 NZD
Promotion Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 74,100 NZD
Sound Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 77,100 NZD
Sound Engineering Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 42,300 NZD
Stage Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 45,700 NZD
Sub Editor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 57,200 NZD
Television Executive Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 177,200 NZD
Transmission Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 83,300 NZD
Video Editor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 68,500 NZD
Video Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 91,700 NZD
Videographer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 75,100 NZD
Visual Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 79,800 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 98,900 NZD
Christchurch 98,300 NZD
Hamilton 89,400 NZD
Rotorua 80,300 NZD
Wellington 92,400 NZD

Link To or Reference This Page

We spend a lot of time collecting, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site to be as useful to you as possible.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference World Salaries as the source. We appreciate your support!

  • "Average Director of Photography Salary in New Zealand for 2024". World Salaries. Accessed on April 18, 2024. https://worldsalaries.com/average-director-of-photography-salary-in-new-zealand/.

  • "Average Director of Photography Salary in New Zealand for 2024". World Salaries, https://worldsalaries.com/average-director-of-photography-salary-in-new-zealand/. Accessed 18 April, 2024

  • Average Director of Photography Salary in New Zealand for 2024. World Salaries. Retrieved from https://worldsalaries.com/average-director-of-photography-salary-in-new-zealand/.