Average Support Worker Salary in New Zealand for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Support Worker 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 Support Worker Make in New Zealand?

A Support Worker working in New Zealand will typically earn around 34,000 NZD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 18,000 NZD to the highest average salary of 51,800 NZD.

Average Annual Salary
34,000 NZD
Average Monthly Salary
2,833 NZD

Lowest Annual Salary
18,000 NZD
Lowest Monthly Salary
1,500 NZD

Highest Annual Salary
51,800 NZD
Highest Monthly Salary
4,316 NZD

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

Support Worker 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 Support Worker Salaries in New Zealand

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Support Worker can earn between 18,000 NZD and 51,800 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 Support Worker in New Zealand is 32,200 NZD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 32,200 NZD, and 50% of the population earn more than 32,200 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 Support Worker salary in New Zealand, 25% of the population are earning less than 23,800 NZD while 75% of the population earn more than 23,800 NZD.

75% of the population earn less than 39,600 NZD, and 25% of the population earn more than 39,600 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.

Support Worker 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 support worker 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 Support Worker in New Zealand that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 19,300 NZD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Support Worker salary would increase to 26,500 NZD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Support Worker, the average salary would be 36,500 NZD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 41,400 NZD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Support Worker with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 44,500 NZD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Support Worker with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 46,900 NZD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
19,300 NZD
2-5 Years +23%
26,500 NZD
5-10 Years +42%
36,500 NZD
10-15 Years +17%
41,400 NZD
15-20 Years +10%
44,500 NZD
20+ Years +6%
46,900 NZD

Support Worker 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 Support Worker 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 Support Worker in New Zealand with a high school education can earn an average salary of 26,500 NZD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Support Worker in New Zealand with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 34,300 NZD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Support Worker in New Zealand with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 51,500 NZD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
26,500 NZD
Certificate or Diploma +40%
34,300 NZD
Bachelor's Degree +42%
51,500 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.

Support Worker 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 support worker will earn an average of 32,200 NZD, while a female support worker will earn around 33,600 NZD.

This means that a male support worker earns approximately 4% less than a female support worker for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in New Zealand

Male
32,200 NZD
Female +4%
33,600 NZD

Support Worker 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 Support Worker in New Zealand is around 10% 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 = ( 10 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Support Worker 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%

Support Worker 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 Support Worker is a low bonus based job, with 27% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

73% 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 1% to 3%.

Received Bonus
27%
No Bonus
73%

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 Support Worker

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

Job Title Category Salary
Activity Assistant Care Giving and Child Care 33,000 NZD
Advice Worker Care Giving and Child Care 40,900 NZD
Care Manager Care Giving and Child Care 119,700 NZD
Care Worker Care Giving and Child Care 31,800 NZD
Child Care Assistant Director Care Giving and Child Care 89,400 NZD
Child Care Specialist Care Giving and Child Care 128,400 NZD
Child Care Teacher Care Giving and Child Care 42,500 NZD
Child Development Center Assistant Care Giving and Child Care 53,300 NZD
Child Development Specialist Care Giving and Child Care 137,100 NZD
Child Life Specialist Care Giving and Child Care 128,400 NZD
Child Protection Officer Care Giving and Child Care 45,000 NZD
Child Psychotherapist Care Giving and Child Care 142,300 NZD
Child Support Officer Care Giving and Child Care 36,800 NZD
Clinical Care Coordinator Care Giving and Child Care 43,500 NZD
Clinical Officer Care Giving and Child Care 37,900 NZD
Custodian Care Giving and Child Care 58,000 NZD
Day Care Director Care Giving and Child Care 165,900 NZD
Elderly Care Giver Care Giving and Child Care 33,300 NZD
Group Home Manager Care Giving and Child Care 160,600 NZD
Kids Activity Assistant Care Giving and Child Care 32,600 NZD
Live In Carer Care Giving and Child Care 37,100 NZD
Nanny Care Giving and Child Care 39,000 NZD
Nursery Nurse Care Giving and Child Care 38,000 NZD
Nursery Teacher Care Giving and Child Care 34,800 NZD
Nursing Home Administrator Care Giving and Child Care 55,100 NZD
Personal Assistant Care Giving and Child Care 32,200 NZD
Physical Health and Wellness Specialist Care Giving and Child Care 142,300 NZD
Preschool Education Coordinator Care Giving and Child Care 61,400 NZD
Primary Therapist Care Giving and Child Care 107,700 NZD
Psychiatric Aide Care Giving and Child Care 46,100 NZD
Rehabilitation Counselor Care Giving and Child Care 128,400 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 39,400 NZD
Christchurch 34,000 NZD
Hamilton 32,900 NZD
Rotorua 30,800 NZD
Wellington 32,900 NZD

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  • "Average Support Worker Salary in New Zealand for 2024". World Salaries. Accessed on March 28, 2024. https://worldsalaries.com/average-support-worker-salary-in-new-zealand/.

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