Taking on an apprentice in New Zealand: the Boost payment, minimum wage types and the qualification
What Work and Income, Employment New Zealand and Tahatu say about the employer side of an apprenticeship in New Zealand arboriculture.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here.
This page covers three government pages. It does not cover the Tertiary Education Commission's code of good practice for New Zealand apprenticeships. The qualification pathway and the payment are also summarised in apprenticeships by country, and the England version of this page is taking on an apprentice in England.
The qualification an apprentice works towards
Tahatu, the government career site, says a person needs a qualification to become an arborist: a New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (Arboriculture) at Level 3, or a New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Services at Level 4. It lists as possible extras a Certificate in Electricity Supply (Utility Arboriculture) at Level 3, a Certificate in Arboriculture at Level 5 and a Diploma in Arboriculture at Level 6, plus climbing or elevated work platform experience and a driver licence. It shows the training as 1 year and says specific school marks are usually not needed.
Apprenticeship Boost for the employer
Work and Income says Apprenticeship Boost is a payment to employers to help them keep and take on new apprentices, paid directly to the employer and meant for things like the apprentice's wages. It gives the conditions in its own words.
| Item | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Who runs it | The Ministry of Education is responsible for policy, the Tertiary Education Commission verifies the apprentice's information, and the Ministry of Social Development manages applications and payments. |
| Apprentice must | Be enrolled and engaged in a qualification the Commission's list covers, be less than 12 months into the apprenticeship (including time on a similar one), be employed by the applicant, have an active enrolment and have a training agreement with the employer and the tertiary education organisation. |
| Amount | NZ$500 a month per eligible apprentice, not including GST, with GST added for a GST-registered employer |
| Length | Up to 12 months, paid monthly in advance from the date of applying and not paid back-dated |
| Applying | The employer applies, not the apprentice, within 20 days of the apprentice starting training and employment, then reconfirms details each month |
| Not available to | State sector employers, employers already getting another wage subsidy or a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment payment for the same apprentice, and anyone hiring themselves as their own apprentice |
The page adds that while the employer gets the payment it must pay the apprentice at least the minimum wage, the starting-out wage or the training wage, and agree to the terms of the Apprenticeship Boost Declaration.
The three minimum wage types
Employment New Zealand lists rates effective from April 1, 2026.
| Type | Per hour | Who it covers, as the page words it |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | NZ$23.95 | Employees aged 16 and over who are not starting-out workers or trainees |
| Starting-out | NZ$19.16 | Employees aged 16 to 19 entering the workforce or completing 40 credits of industry training |
| Training | NZ$19.16 | Employees aged 20 and over who must do at least 60 credits a year of an industry training programme; the page says it usually applies to apprentices |
The page says an apprentice has the same minimum rights and protections as any other employee. It says the training wage does not apply to someone who is only being trained at work by the employer, and does not apply to an employee who supervises or trains other workers, who must be paid at least the adult rate. It states that every employee must have a written employment agreement.