Top ten highest salaries in New Zealand
Wondering which jobs in the Hays Salary Guide FY25/26 pay the most?
If you're planning your future career goals and want a long and happy working life, don’t just focus on going after the jobs with the highest salary. However, knowing what jobs pay the best in your preferred industry can help you map out career moves for future prosperity.
The highest paying jobs in New Zealand in 2025/2026
Along with the latest market insights and trends, Hays Salary Guide FY25/26 reveals typical salaries for thousands of jobs across New Zealand. Based on this data, we’ve collated the following list of some of New Zealand’s highest paying jobs.
For salaries in other locations or other roles in your field, please see Hays Salary Guide FY25/26 and to check if your salary stacks up, try the Hays Salary Checker.
Executive: CEO and MD (up to $600K+)
Running the company is a good place to plan to end up with you want to take home a top pay packet.
For CEOs and Managing Directors in commercial organisations with turnovers of over $500m the salary can be $600k+, and between $50-$500m it can reach up to $650k.
For Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) in commercial organisations with turnovers over $500m, they can earn $500k+, and in organisations with revenues between $50-$500m CFOs can reach up to $500k as well. Chief Operating Officers (COOs) can earn up to $500k+ in a high revenue organisation.
Even in an NFP the CEO salary can reach $600k (the range actually being higher than its Australian counterparts).
CEOs and other executives seeking new opportunities should demonstrate how they have advanced service delivery in their organisation by introducing new technologies and strategies. Executives also need to demonstrate their ability to foster collaboration and strengthen team culture in remote work environments to attract new career opportunities and top salaries.
Property: Development Director (up to $357k)
Property is the place to earn money, if you’re at the top of the tower. Earning more than the construction managers building properties, are the property Development Directors coming up with the projects. Development Directors can earn up to 357k in Auckland, Wellington and on the South Island.
Sales: General Manager of Sales and Sales Director (up to $300k)
New Zealand’s top sales jobs earners are General Managers, particularly in the area of Consumer Goods. General Managers can earn up to $300k in Auckland, and $280k in Wellington. In IT and Telecoms sales, the Vice President of Sales can earn up to $240k.
Human Resources: Head of HR/HR Director (up to $300k)
Given how workplaces continue to transform, HR professionals are essential advisors for many organisations who need to navigate the changing world of business and industrial regulation. Demand for skilled and experienced HR professionals has consequently intensified. The Head of HR in a can earn up to $300k in an organisation with over 1000 employees. This upper limit drops to $255k in for organisations with between 250 and 1000 people.
Technology: CIO (up to $300K)
There is a real depth to the number of high paying IT jobs, with many roles paying over $200k.
A Chief Information Officer (CIO) can earn up to $300k in Auckland and Wellington, a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) up to $280k, a Chief Data Officer up to $280k, a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) up to $260k, and a Head of Information Security up to $240k. Other roles paying over $200k include IT Manager, Test Director, Architects of all disciplines, Cloud Security Engineers, Application Security Engineers and a number of data and cyber security roles. .
Accountancy: Senior Commercial Manager / Director (up to $260k)
Accountancy salaries no longer lead the way as they once did in the past, but there are still good salaries to be had. A Senior Commercial Manager or Director can earn up to $260k in Auckland and $220k elsewhere. A Head of Financial Planning can earn up to $220k in Wellington, $200k in Auckland and $180k elsewhere.
Construction: Construction Manager, Commercial (up to $224k)
When it comes to big buildings, a Construction Manager in Auckland can earn up to $224k, this does drop however to an upper limit of $200k in Wellington and $180k on the South Island. It also drops for civil construction and residential. Senior Estimators can earn up to $200k in all three geographic areas.
Various other roles paying up to $200k
General Manager of Facilities Management can earn up to $235k in Auckland, although all other roles in the industry fall below the $200k mark. Head of a Contact Centre can earn up to $200k in Auckland and Wellington. Head of Insurance Claims can earn up to $200k, and Senior Legal Counsels can earn as high as $239k. A Marketing Director can make up to $220k and a Supply Chain Director up to $200k.
Find more of New Zealand’s highest paying jobs
As you can see, plenty of the highest paying jobs in New Zealand exist across a wide range of industry sectors.
For more information on which jobs pay the most in New Zealand download the Hays Salary Guide FY25/26. Our flagship report is full of findings pertinent to employers and candidates making smarter decisions in the world of work and offers an insightful portrait of typical salaries across 26 sectors and industries.