How to Ask for a Pay Rise in New Zealand

Choose a target before arranging the meeting. Use comparable roles in the same occupation, region and experience band. A national average is only a sense-check: it can be distorted by industry, seniority, location, overtime and part-time work.

Write the target as both an annual salary and a percentage. “I am asking to move from $70,000 to $75,000” is clearer than “I would like something around 7%”. Check the result in the pay rise calculator so you understand what the change means after deductions.

1. Role growth: duties, decisions, customers, people or budgets added since pay was set.
2. Results: three to five outcomes with numbers, dates and your contribution made explicit.
3. Market range: several current, comparable sources rather than one unusually high job advertisement.
4. Internal consistency: relevant salary bands or comparable work, where that information is available.
5. The ask: one justified salary, plus a sensible range only if you genuinely accept every number in it.

Do not inflate a competing offer or claim another employee's salary proves discrimination. Accurate evidence is more persuasive and protects trust.

“Thanks for meeting with me. I'd like to review my salary against the work I am now doing. Since my last review, I have taken responsibility for [scope] and delivered [two measurable results]. Comparable New Zealand roles are advertised or benchmarked around [range]. Based on that evidence, I am asking to move from [current salary] to [target salary]. Can we agree on that change, or the steps and date needed to reach it?”

Then stop talking. Give your manager room to respond. If the answer is not immediate, ask who makes the decision and when you will receive a response.

Employment New Zealand says pay is agreed between employer and employee, provided legal minimums and the employment agreement are met. There is generally no automatic right to an annual review or rise. An employer can review pay and decide not to increase it.

There is, however, a newer protection relevant to gathering evidence. The Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Act 2025 made it unlawful for an employer to take adverse action because an employee discussed or disclosed pay, asked another employee about pay, or took part in that discussion. Nobody is required to disclose their pay.

• Ask whether the barrier is performance, budget, approval timing or the employer's view of the role's market value.
• Request measurable conditions for reconsideration and put a review date in the diary.
• Consider alternatives that genuinely matter to you: extra leave, funded training, flexible hours or a one-off bonus. Check a bonus in the bonus tax calculator.
• After the meeting, send a calm written summary of the discussion and agreed next step.
• If the gap remains unexplained, compare the whole package and the realistic cost of changing jobs.

Employment New Zealand explains pay reviews and pay rises, how to prepare for a workplace discussion, and the 2025 protection for pay discussions.

The June 2026 Stats NZ data showed median hourly earnings up 2.7% while annual CPI was 4.1%. That is useful context for a review, but it does not replace evidence about your own work. Use the average salary page to understand what broad benchmarks can and cannot tell you.