Average Social Science Research Assistant Salary in New Zealand for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Social Science Research Assistant salary for 2026 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 Social Science Research Assistant Make in New Zealand?

A Social Science Research Assistant working in New Zealand will typically earn around 81,000 NZD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 43,400 NZD to the highest average salary of 124,500 NZD.

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

Social Science Research Assistant 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 Social Science Research Assistant Salaries in New Zealand

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Social Science Research Assistant can earn between 43,400 NZD and 124,500 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 Social Science Research Assistant in New Zealand is 74,300 NZD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 74,300 NZD, and 50% of the population earn more than 74,300 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 Social Science Research Assistant salary in New Zealand, 25% of the population are earning less than 54,100 NZD while 75% of the population earn more than 54,100 NZD.

75% of the population earn less than 92,200 NZD, and 25% of the population earn more than 92,200 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.

Social Science Research Assistant 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 Social Science Research Assistant 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 Social Science Research Assistant in New Zealand that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 50,500 NZD.
• 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Social Science Research Assistant salary would increase to 58,800 NZD.
• 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Social Science Research Assistant, the average salary would be 85,500 NZD.
• 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 99,700 NZD.
• 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Social Science Research Assistant with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 108,200 NZD.
• 20+ Years Experience. For a Social Science Research Assistant with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 115,600 NZD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

Social Science Research Assistant 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 Social Science Research Assistant 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.

• Bachelor's Degree. A Social Science Research Assistant in New Zealand with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 54,500 NZD.
• Master's Degree. A Social Science Research Assistant in New Zealand with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 109,000 NZD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Social Science Research Assistant 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 social science research assistant will earn an average of 82,200 NZD, while a female social science research assistant will earn around 77,000 NZD.

This means that a male social science research assistant earns approximately 7% more than a female social science research assistant for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in New Zealand

Social Science Research Assistant 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 Social Science Research Assistant in New Zealand is around 11% 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 = ( 11 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that a Social Science Research Assistant in New Zealand can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in New Zealand for 2026

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.

Social Science Research Assistant 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 Social Science Research Assistant is a moderate bonus based job, with 53% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

47% 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 5%.

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.

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Social Science Research Assistant

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Social Science Research Assistant in New Zealand.

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.