Revealed: New Zealand's highest paying regions

Salaries are slowly rising across New Zealand, but which region is paying the most? We reveal the latest salary trends and where the highest-paying jobs are located

Wage growth has remained sluggish in recent years, despite New Zealand’s unemployment rate at its lowest level in a decade. However, it may be time to prepare for a lift. The latest data from SEEK shows salaries are creeping higher across the country. So which region is leading the way?

• Salaries on the rise

• Where are the highest paying jobs?

AucklandChristchurchHamiltonWellington Select

Source: SEEK Salary Report, July 2017 - June 2018 vs July 2016 - June 2017

Source: SEEK Salary Report, July 2017 - June 2018 vs July 2016 - June 2017

Source: SEEK Salary Report, July 2017 - June 2018 vs July 2016 - June 2017

Source: SEEK Salary Report, July 2017 - June 2018 vs July 2016 - June 2017

Ben Pearson, General Manager – Wellington at Beyond Recruitment, says salaries are on the rise across the country. “Daily we are seeing salary negotiation, which is generally successful, so it’s not surprising to see this playing out as a trend,” he says.

This is supported by the latest data from SEEK, which shows that salaries are looking up across New Zealand’s five biggest regions this year. Wellington led the way with a 2.7% lift and recorded an average advertised salary of $84,466. This may be due to the high proportion of public sector workers, who in many cases earn more than those in the private sector./p>

Salaries in Auckland were up by 2.4% and the average pay packet was $78,415. In Hamilton, salaries increased by 1.6% with an average of $71,700. Meanwhile, Christchurch recorded the lowest growth in salaries with a 1.3% increase and an average of $74,948.

Wellington led the list of highest-paying roles, taking out the top five spots this year. First place went to Retail & Property Development ($142,777 average). With an expected population growth of around 50,000 people over the next 30 years, property development is a key part of Wellington City’s Urban Growth Plan.

“There is increasing demand for Estimation, Quantity Surveyors and Site Engineering skills, which are the more technically specialist property roles,” says Pearson. “We have seen some upward salary movement in these areas. The increase is probably also affected by high talent demand in Auckland, which is drawing talent from Wellington and other parts of New Zealand. This is placing upward pressure on remuneration nationally.”

Medical specialists in Wellington are the second biggest earners in the country ($135,227 average) while management roles in the region’s superannuation and insurance industry placed third with an average salary of $134,250.

Information Architects in Wellington came in fourth place with an average salary of $131,356. Mark Nielsen, Chief Executive Oficer – APAC at Talent International, says Information Architects are attracting high salaries in the nation’s capital due to the Government’s digital transformation program. “There is a strong demand for IT professionals in the public sector as the government responds to changes in the digital world,” he says. “I don’t see demand slowing down for some time and this will continue to have an effect on salaries.”

Meanwhile, roles in Wellington’s Corporate and Institutional Banking sector recorded the fifth highest salaries. Nielsen says this may be due to increasing demand for professionals with ICT skills in the banking industry. “Banks and the financial services sector are transforming,” he says. “They need professionals who can lead and support this in their key divisions.”

With wages on the rise across the regions, employers would be wise to review their salary levels. There may be more to life than money, but it’s one of the greatest incentives when it comes to attracting top talent.