Blog / Mechanic apprenticeship

Mechanic apprenticeships in NZ: how to get started

By Michael Zwiener · For students · 3 October 2026 · 11 min read

To become a mechanic in New Zealand, you usually do a paid apprenticeship with a workshop, dealership or fleet business while you work towards a Level 4 New Zealand Certificate in automotive engineering. Plan on 2 to 4 years. You need a job in the industry first, you can start from 16, and there's no upper age limit (Tahatū).

Not sure yet if it's for you? That's normal. This guide shows what the work is really like, the ways in – including some you can start while you're still at school – and exactly how to apply.

A day as an apprentice mechanic

Tahatū calls the job automotive technician – other names include automotive mechanic, motor mechanic and light or heavy vehicle technician. The work: inspect vehicles for problems, service and repair them, replace worn and damaged parts, test-drive vehicles to find faults, read work orders, record parts and repairs, estimate costs and explain repairs to customers (Tahatū). As an apprentice you do this alongside experienced technicians, who show you how and check your work.

An example day (made up, to give you a feel – every workshop is different):

• Start: grab the job card for your first car and check what the customer booked it in for.
• Morning: a routine service – change the oil and filter, check the brakes, tyres and suspension, and note that the front brake pads are nearly worn out.
• Midday: a warning light is on in another car. You watch a senior technician connect a diagnostic tool, run tests and track down the faulty part.
• Afternoon: replace the worn brake pads while your supervisor checks your work, then go along on the test drive.
• End of day: record the parts and time on the job card and clean your bay. Some evenings you'll do online theory or upload photos of your work as training evidence – MITO apprentices do this through MITO's online portal (MITO).

Automotive technicians usually work regular business hours, but may work shifts and weekends and be on call. Most work happens in garages and workshops, with some local travel to breakdowns. It can be loud, dusty and dirty, and physically demanding (Tahatū).

Is it right for you?

Tahatū describes automotive technicians as practical, investigative and organised, and as accurate, methodical and safety-conscious. Some honest questions to ask yourself:

• Do you like working out why something isn't working, not just swapping parts until it goes?
• Are you OK with grease, noise and being on your feet most of the day?
• Could you explain a repair to a customer clearly and politely, including the price?
• Are you happy to keep learning? Vehicles keep changing – more electronics, hybrids and electric cars – so the learning doesn't stop when you qualify.

If you answered “maybe” to a few, a day or a week of work experience in a workshop will tell you more than any article. If you're weighing up trades, compare with electrical, plumbing or building apprenticeships. Torn between a trade and a degree? Read apprenticeship vs university.

Will AI change it? Probably in parts. Diagnostic tools and software already help with fault-finding and paperwork, and that may grow. Getting under a car, finding the fault and fixing it safely still takes skilled hands. No job comes with a guarantee, though. More in how AI may change jobs in NZ.

Ways in

Straight from school

You can start an apprenticeship from 16 (Tahatū). You usually need a job in the industry first – the apprenticeship comes with the job (Tahatū).

While you're still at school

In Years 11–13, ask your careers adviser about:

• Gateway: you work in a real workplace for part of the school year while you keep studying for NCEA.
• A trades academy: you spend 1 or 2 days a week with a training provider and 3 or 4 days at school, working towards NCEA Level 2 or above and industry qualifications at Level 1, 2 or 3 (Tahatū).
• MITO's StartUp programme: Year 11 to 13 students can earn automotive micro-credentials and credits towards NCEA Levels 2 and 3, with eLearning plus practical learning in a workshop. Schools run it with MITO, so ask whether yours does (MITO).

A free course after school

MITO's Introduction to Automotive Engineering Micro-credential is designed for people who have left school and want to work in the automotive industry. It's Level 3, takes about 5 months online, and MITO lists it as free (MITO). It covers workshop safety, tools, engines, brakes, steering and suspension – handy on a CV when you approach workshops.

A pre-trade course

Polytechnics and private providers run entry certificates in automotive engineering at Levels 1–3. Tahatū lists them as about 1 year of study, with NCEA Level 1 or open entry, and fees of roughly $1,200 to $7,500 (Tahatū). That's a real cost, so ask a few local workshops whether they'd value it before you enrol.

A workshop job first

Tahatū says experience in similar work may be useful (Tahatū). Some people start in a junior or assistant role at a workshop, tyre shop or dealership, then ask about an apprenticeship once the boss knows they're reliable.

Starting later

There's no upper age limit (Tahatū). If you're 20 or older, different minimum wage rules apply – see pay.

What you need

• A job in the industry. MITO's light automotive programme says you must be employed in the automotive industry and have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand (MITO).
• School subjects that help. Tahatū says you usually don't need specific NCEA levels, but NCEA Level 2 may be useful (Tahatū). MITO lists English, maths, technology, computer skills and science such as physics as helpful subjects (MITO).
• A driver licence. Tahatū lists a driver licence (with a special-type vehicle endorsement) as something you may need, and test-driving vehicles is part of the job. Put your licence type – learner, restricted or full – on your CV (MITO).
• The right attitude. MITO says employers can teach the technical skills; what they look for is a positive attitude, reliability, good listening and a willingness to learn (MITO).

How to apply, step by step

1. Make a shortlist. Find 8–10 workshops, dealerships, tyre and service centres or fleet businesses near you. Note what they work on – cars, trucks, motorbikes, farm machinery.
2. Get your CV ready. One page, with anything practical: part-time work, sport, fixing bikes or cars, a tech or engineering project, StartUp or Gateway. Our CV guide for school leavers shows you how, even with no experience.
3. Write a short message. Use the template below or our cover letter guide (it has an apprenticeship example).
4. Call in with your CV. MITO suggests calling into local workshops in person with your CV (MITO). Ask for the owner or service manager: “I want to become a mechanic. Are you taking on an apprentice? Could I do a day with you?”
5. Search the job boards. MITO lists its free Job Hub (you can create a jobseeker profile), local workshop and dealership websites, community job pages, Seek and Trade Me Jobs, and your careers adviser or Gateway coordinator (MITO). Search “apprentice mechanic” or “automotive apprentice” plus your town.
6. Contact a training provider. Tahatū lists eight providers of automotive apprenticeships: Ara, Eastern Institute of Technology, MITO, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, NorthTec, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, Unitec and Whitireia and WelTec (Tahatū). Providers should help you get job-ready and may be able to match you with an employer looking for an apprentice (Tahatū).
7. Follow up. A short, polite message a week later makes you stand out.
8. When you get an offer: ask the questions below. Then you, your employer and the provider sign a training agreement, and the provider sets up a training plan with you (Tahatū).

Worth telling an employer: through Apprenticeship Boost, employers can get $500 a month (excluding GST) for an eligible apprentice in their first 12 months, for up to 12 months. The employer applies – within 20 days of you starting – and you can't apply yourself (Work and Income). Ask your provider whether your programme is on the Tertiary Education Commission's list of eligible qualifications.

A message you can adapt

Copy the message

Fill in every [bracket] with something true about you. Delete anything that doesn't fit.

Questions to ask before you say yes

• What's the hourly rate, and when does it go up?
• Who pays the training fees?
• Who will supervise and train me day to day?
• Which qualification will I do – light vehicles, heavy vehicles or something else – and with which provider?
• Do I need my own tools? If so, which ones, and when?
• Do I need a full driver licence by a certain date?

Training and qualifications

Most of your learning happens on the job. Tahatū says apprentices learn at work, do courses in person or online, and do practical and written assessments, and that an automotive apprenticeship can get you a New Zealand Certificate at Level 4 – for example in Light or Heavy Automotive Engineering (Tahatū).

• How long: Tahatū's listing says about 2 years for the Level 4 apprenticeship (Tahatū). MITO's light automotive programme starts at Level 3 and goes on to Level 4, and MITO lists it as 4 years in total (MITO). Where you start and how fast you progress make the difference.
• How it works at MITO: theory online, practical tasks at work with evidence such as photos and job cards, and a Training Advisor who sets up your training plan and checks in with you and your employer at least four times a year (MITO).
• Fees: Tahatū says you may need to pay training fees and some employers pay them (Tahatū). As one example, MITO lists a training fee of $1,189 a year, excluding GST, for its light automotive programme (MITO).
• Other routes in the same industry: motorcycles (MITO lists 3.5 to 4 years for its motorcycle engineering programme, MITO), automotive electrical work (Tahatū), and diesel and heavy vehicles. For diesel, Tahatū says you need an automotive apprenticeship or a Level 4 certificate in automotive diesel fuel technology, a driver licence, and possibly a Class 2, 4 or 5 licence (Tahatū).

Pay: apprentice and mechanic pay in NZ

While you train

Apprentices are paid the training minimum wage or more (Tahatū). The legal minimum for an apprentice is $19.16 an hour from 1 April 2026 (Employment NZ):

• Aged 16 to 19 and your employment agreement requires at least 40 credits a year of industry training: the starting-out rate, $19.16.
• Aged 20 or older and required to complete at least 60 credits a year: the training rate, $19.16.

At $19.16 an hour, a 40-hour week is $766.40 before tax. The adult minimum wage is $23.95. Many employers pay apprentices more than the minimum, and Tahatū says pay may go up as you learn more skills (Tahatū). Our minimum wage guide has more.

Once you're working in the trade

Tahatū estimates that most automotive technicians earn $28 to $41 an hour – about $58,000 to $85,000 a year – with those at the upper end on about $50 an hour (Tahatū). Related roles:

Source: Tahatū occupation profiles, pay before tax, checked 3 October 2026. These are estimates for people working in the job, not apprentice rates. Pay depends on skills, experience, qualifications and what employers can pay (Tahatū).

Tahatū counts about 11,000 automotive technicians in New Zealand (2023 Census), about the same as in 2018 (Tahatū).

What's changing in 2026–2028

New Zealand is reorganising vocational training (Ministry of Education):

• Since 1 January 2026, eight Industry Skills Boards temporarily look after apprenticeships and traineeships that used to sit with NZIST (formerly Te Pūkenga). MITO is now a work-based learning division of the Transport board, and its contact details haven't changed.
• New enrolments: the boards can only take on new learners where there's no suitable programme with a polytechnic or private provider, so ask which provider you'd be enrolled with.
• By 1 January 2028, all of these programmes move to polytechnics and other tertiary providers, and the boards only set standards.

For you, the steps stay the same: find an employer, sign up, follow your training plan. Our guide to apprenticeships in NZ sums up the changes for all trades.

Fees Free won't help if you're starting now. You'd have to complete your qualification by 31 December 2026 to be eligible (Inland Revenue). More in our Fees Free guide.

Your next small step

You don't have to decide your whole future this week. Pick one:

• Write down three workshops near you and what they mostly work on.
• Ask your careers adviser whether your school offers Gateway, a trades academy or MITO's StartUp.
• Not sure mechanics is your thing? Try the AI coach if you're 16 or older. No sign-up needed.
• Read the apprenticeship overview to compare other trades.

If your school uses Week by Week, the AI coach can show career paths that fit you, how to get in locally, and any current job ads near you, each with an AI estimate of how well you match and what's missing. Then it helps you pick one small step a week, like calling a workshop. Join with your school code – no code? Ask your school.

Questions

Sources

1. Tahatū, Automotive technician (pay, tasks, working conditions, entry requirements; checked 3 October 2026)
2. Tahatū, Apprenticeships in automotive engineering and mechanics (length, level, providers; checked 3 October 2026)
3. Tahatū, Entry certificates in automotive engineering and mechanics (checked 3 October 2026)
4. Tahatū, About apprenticeships (age, steps, training plan; checked 3 October 2026)
5. Tahatū, Combine school with work or training (Gateway, trades academies; checked 3 October 2026)
6. Tahatū, Diesel mechanic (pay, entry requirements; checked 3 October 2026)
7. Tahatū, Automotive electrician (pay, entry requirements; checked 3 October 2026)
8. Tahatū, Where our data comes from (how pay is estimated; checked 3 October 2026)
9. MITO, Light Automotive Engineering (length, fee, eligibility; checked 3 October 2026)
10. MITO, Motorcycle Engineering (checked 3 October 2026)
11. MITO, Introduction to Automotive Engineering Micro-credential (checked 3 October 2026)
12. MITO, StartUp for secondary school students (checked 3 October 2026)
13. MITO, Finding a job and Job Hub (checked 3 October 2026)
14. MITO, Life as a MITO apprentice (checked 3 October 2026)
15. Employment New Zealand, Minimum wage rates and types (checked 3 October 2026)
16. Work and Income, Apprenticeship Boost (checked 3 October 2026)
17. Tertiary Education Commission, Apprenticeship Boost (list of eligible qualifications)
18. Ministry of Education, Redesign of the vocational education and training system (checked 3 October 2026)
19. Inland Revenue, Fees Free (checked 3 October 2026)

Keep reading