New Zealand Needs Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers: What Skilled Tradespeople Abroad Should Know

News · 2026-08-31 · 4 min read

Every home needs safe water, working drains and reliable gas, and in New Zealand the people who keep all of that running are getting harder to find. If you are a tradesperson who has worked on big projects in the Middle East or back home in the Philippines, this story is worth a read, because it shows how much skilled migration now matters to the country's trades.

Why Kiwi Households Are Feeling the Squeeze

According to economic forecasting firm Infometrics, New Zealand will need to fill around 1,450 plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying roles in the coming year alone. Behind this are workers in the trade getting older, many of them leaving for Australia, and a construction sector that is beginning to recover. The catch is that the country is not training enough new people to take their place.

Fewer Apprentices Coming Through

The industry body Master Plumbers has put figures on the problem. Fewer than one in five plumbing businesses currently employ an apprentice, and in the wider construction sector the share can be as low as 10–15 percent. The number of new apprentices dropped sharply again this year, following a steep fall the year before. During the recession, tighter margins made it hard for smaller businesses to support trainees through those early months when they are not yet productive.

Experienced tradespeople say training an apprentice is a long-term commitment; it can take five years before a business sees a proper return. That is why apprenticeships are often among the first things dropped when work slows down, and among the last to come back once it picks up again.

Young Plumbers Heading Across the Tasman

Here is where migration comes in. Many qualified tradespeople are not leaving the trade; they are leaving the country. Newly certified plumbers are increasingly moving to Australia, where pay can be almost twice what they earned in New Zealand. A jump from about NZ$30 an hour to AU$55 is not unusual. Some estimates from recent groups of trade graduates suggest close to half of a graduating class may move to Australia soon after qualifying.

For a young worker thinking about career growth, income and lifestyle, that choice makes sense, even if it leaves New Zealand employers struggling to fill jobs. A developed country training skilled people and then losing them to a neighbouring market with better pay is exactly the type of gap migration pathways are meant to help with, on both sides. New Zealand is pushed to look past its local talent, while Australia becomes even more attractive to trades workers with international qualifications.

A Trade Getting Older

Age adds to the pressure. The average certifying plumber, gasfitter or drainlayer in New Zealand is now 49 years old. Industry figures also suggest that around 1,000 tradespeople still working on the tools are already over 65 and nearing retirement. Because these trades protect drinking water safety, sanitation and gas supply, this shortage affects much more than building schedules.

Two Ways to Widen the Talent Pool

Long-time industry members point to two overlooked pathways that reach beyond simply training more apprentices. The first is opening the door to a wider range of people. Women make up less than one percent of the licensed plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying workforce in New Zealand, even though female applicants keep showing interest and say they find it hard to even get an interview.

The second is looking overseas. Local apprenticeship numbers are shrinking, and training providers face their own problems, including courses that are not always available, a lack of tutors and old equipment. In that setting, skilled migration is becoming less of a back-up plan and more of a basic need for keeping essential infrastructure work staffed.

Encouraging News for Tradespeople Overseas

For New Zealand construction and trades employers, the message is to actively use skilled migration channels instead of competing only for a shrinking local workforce. For qualified plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers abroad, it points to a market with real, ongoing demand, where experienced workers are needed for roles that will only get harder to fill.

As New Zealand works out how to rebuild its trades pipeline, migration is moving from the sidelines to the centre of its workforce planning. If you are a skilled tradesperson from the Philippines or elsewhere, take this as encouragement to keep your work records and certificates in good order and to check official immigration information before you apply.

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