Blog / Plumbing apprenticeship

Plumbing apprenticeships in NZ: how to get started

By Michael Zwiener · For students · 3 October 2026 · 12 min read

To become a plumber in New Zealand, you do a paid apprenticeship with a plumbing business – usually 3 to 4 years – while you work towards a Level 4 New Zealand Certificate in Plumbing (Tahatū). You hold a limited certificate from the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB) while you train, pass an exam, then register. 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, what apprentices get paid and exactly how to apply – so you can decide with real information.

A day as an apprentice plumber

Plumbers install and join water pipes and fittings, measure, cut and shape pipe, set out and install water systems, install and repair hot water systems, maintain drainage, fit fixtures and gas appliances, work on roofing and spouting, and read plans (Tahatū). As an apprentice you do this alongside a qualified plumber who supervises your work.

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

• Start: meet your supervisor, load pipe, fittings and tools into the van and talk through the day's jobs.
• Morning: on a new house, help run water pipes through the timber frame before the walls are lined, following the plans.
• Midday: a call-out to a home where the hot water cylinder isn't working. You help find the fault and replace the part.
• Afternoon: fit a toilet and vanity in a bathroom renovation, then test everything for leaks.
• End of day: note what you did and take photos for your training evidence. Apprentices record evidence from real jobs and do theory online, plus block courses (EarnLearn).

Plumbers usually work regular business hours but may work evenings and weekends. They work in homes and commercial buildings and travel locally. It can be dirty, hot and dusty, and physically demanding (Tahatū). In your first 12 months, you can only work when your supervisor – or another qualified person they've appointed – is there (PGDB).

Plumber, gasfitter or drainlayer?

Plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying are three related trades. Each has its own Level 4 New Zealand Certificate (Tahatū) and its own registration with the PGDB (PGDB), and you can train in one or a combination (EarnLearn).

• Plumbers work on water supply, hot water systems, fixtures, spouting and some gas appliances (Tahatū).
• Gasfitters install, maintain and repair gas pipes and systems – usually hot water and heating, cooking equipment and gas appliances – and check for leaks (Tahatū).
• Drainlayers install, alter and repair pipes for water mains, sewers and drains, and travel between worksites (Tahatū).

Is it right for you?

Tahatū describes plumbers as practical, organised and investigative, and as safety-conscious. Some honest questions to ask yourself:

• Are you OK working under houses, in ceilings and in trenches, in all weather?
• Can you handle dirty jobs, like a blocked drain, without it ruining your day?
• Are you comfortable going into people's homes and talking to them about the problem and the cost?
• Can you follow plans and rules carefully? Sanitary plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying are restricted work in New Zealand (PGDB), and the supervision rules exist to protect public health and safety (PGDB).

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

Will AI change it? Probably in parts – quoting, design and paperwork tools may change as technology improves. The hands-on work in real homes and on sites is much harder to automate, and sanitary plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying are restricted work for registered and licensed people – and the trainees they supervise (PGDB). 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 with an employer's support (Tahatū). You usually need the job first – the apprenticeship comes with it.

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).

Tahatū says choosing Gateway or a trades academy at school might help you get an apprenticeship when you leave (Tahatū).

A pre-trade course

Entry certificates in plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying are at Levels 1–3. Tahatū lists them as about 7 months of study, with NCEA Level 1 or open entry, and fees of roughly $2,700 to $4,600 (Tahatū). Tahatū's plumber profile names the New Zealand Certificate in Plumbing, Gasfitting and Drainlaying (Level 3) as something you may need (Tahatū). Ask a few local plumbing businesses whether they'd value it before you enrol – some would rather train you from scratch.

A labouring job first

Some people start by labouring for a plumbing or drainlaying business, then ask about an apprenticeship once the boss knows they're reliable. Tahatū says you usually learn on the job to become a drainage labourer (Tahatū). The restricted work itself has to wait: it's for registered and licensed people, and for trainees with a limited certificate working under supervision (PGDB).

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

• NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training (Tahatū). English and maths are among the most common school subjects for this training (Tahatū).
• An employer. You need to be employed in plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying work and supervised by a licensed tradesperson, because much of your assessment uses evidence from real jobs (EarnLearn).
• A limited certificate from the PGDB. Once you're enrolled in the Level 4 certificate, you must hold one to do any restricted work during your apprenticeship, and the PGDB issues them each year (PGDB). EarnLearn says it manages the application for its apprentices and covers the cost (EarnLearn).
• Possibly a driver licence and the ability to drive a manual vehicle – Tahatū lists both as things you may need (Tahatū).

How to apply, step by step

1. Make a shortlist. Find 8–10 plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying businesses near you. Note what they mostly do – new builds, repairs and maintenance, or commercial work.
2. Get your CV ready. One page. Show practical skills, use of tools, safety awareness and a positive attitude to learning (EarnLearn): part-time work, sport, fixing things, helping on a family renovation. 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 or visit. Ask for the owner or manager: “I want to become a plumber. Are you taking on an apprentice? Could I do a day with you?” Many apprenticeships are never advertised.
5. Contact a training provider too. Tahatū lists five providers of plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying apprenticeships: Ara, EarnLearn, Skills Institute, Skills Trades Training and Unitec (Tahatū). Providers should help you get job-ready and may be able to match you with an employer looking for an apprentice (Tahatū).
6. Search job sites. Try “apprentice plumber” or “plumbing apprentice” plus your town, and set up an alert.
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, the provider sets up a training plan with you (Tahatū), and you get your limited certificate.

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 be my supervisor, and who will I work with day to day?
• Which qualification will I do – plumbing only, or gasfitting or drainlaying too – and with which provider?
• How is the training done – block courses, online modules, or both?
• Do I need my own tools or a full driver licence by a certain date?

Training and registration

Most of your learning happens on the job. Apprentices learn at work, do courses in person or online, and do practical and written assessments, and the apprenticeship can get you a New Zealand Certificate at Level 4 in Plumbing, Gasfitting or Drainlaying (Tahatū).

• How long: Tahatū's plumber profile says 3 to 4 years (Tahatū), and its apprenticeship listing says 2 to 4 years (Tahatū). EarnLearn says around 2 years for a single trade, up to 5 years for combined programmes, and that you move forward as you meet the standards, not just by time served (EarnLearn).
• How it works at EarnLearn: a block course at the start, health and safety courses such as First Aid and Working at Heights, workplace modules with evidence from real projects, online theory, and an external exam before you finish. EarnLearn covers the cost of your first exam attempt (EarnLearn).
• Fees: Tahatū estimates fees of $3,000 to $8,100 for this level of plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying training, and says some employers pay your fees (Tahatū).

From apprentice to registered plumber, according to the PGDB:

1. Enrol in the Level 4 certificate and get your limited certificate. You need it for any restricted work while you complete your apprenticeship (PGDB).
2. Work under supervision. Everyone doing restricted work except certifiers works under supervision. In your first 12 months as an apprentice, you can only work when your supervisor, or another plumber, gasfitter, drainlayer or certifier they've appointed, is there (PGDB).
3. Finish your Level 4 certificate and pass the relevant PGDB exam. You need both to register through the New Zealand qualification pathway (PGDB).
4. Register as a plumber, gasfitter or drainlayer. You'll also need a recent criminal record check. Registered plumbers still work under the supervision of a certifying person (PGDB), though that person no longer has to be with you on every job (PGDB).
5. Keep your licence current. You renew it each year and complete continuing professional development (CPD) (PGDB). The top level is certifying: certifiers don't work under supervision, and they can supervise others (PGDB).

Pay: plumbing apprenticeship wages and plumber salary 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). Your rate is in your employment agreement, so ask about it – and about pay rises – before you sign. Our minimum wage guide has more.

Once you're working in the trade

Tahatū estimates that most plumbers earn $56,000 to $91,000 a year – about $27 to $44 an hour – with those at the upper end on about $108,000 a year (Tahatū). Gasfitters and drainlayers also train for 3 to 4 years, according to Tahatū. Pay across the three trades:

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 8,500 plumbers in New Zealand (2023 Census), up from 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). EarnLearn is now a work-based learning division of the Energy and Infrastructure 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 plumbing or drainlaying businesses near you and what kind of work they do.
• Ask your careers adviser whether there's a Gateway or trades academy place for next year.
• Not sure plumbing 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 plumbing business. Join with your school code – no code? Ask your school.

Questions

Sources

1. Tahatū, Plumber (pay, tasks, working conditions, entry requirements, registration; checked 3 October 2026)
2. Tahatū, Apprenticeships in plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying (length, level, providers, fees; checked 3 October 2026)
3. Tahatū, Entry certificates in plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying (checked 3 October 2026)
4. Tahatū, Gasfitter (checked 3 October 2026)
5. Tahatū, Drainlayer (checked 3 October 2026)
6. Tahatū, About apprenticeships (age, steps, training plan; checked 3 October 2026)
7. Tahatū, Combine school with work or training (Gateway, trades academies; checked 3 October 2026)
8. Tahatū, Where our data comes from (how pay is estimated; checked 3 October 2026)
9. Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, Apply for registration (checked 3 October 2026)
10. Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, Plumber, gasfitter and drainlayer registration (checked 3 October 2026)
11. Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, Manage your licence (trainee limited certificate, CPD; checked 3 October 2026)
12. Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, Supervision (checked 3 October 2026)
13. Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, Understanding registration and licence classes (PDF, checked 3 October 2026)
14. EarnLearn, PGD apprentice (timeframes, training, exams, licence; 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)

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