Mining industry insights
Explore the latest industry insights from Infometrics to learn more about the industries we work with and how they’re evolving.
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Mining and Exploration industry summary
Employment in 2025
In 2025, the mining and exploration sector employed 4,208 people, representing 0.2% of all filled jobs in New Zealand.
Employment grew at an average rate of 2.7% per year between 2020 and 2025. Growth is forecast to slow, with employment expected to increase by 0.3% per year between 2026 and 2031, compared with 1.4% nationally.
Businesses in the sector
In 2025, there were 575 mining and exploration businesses operating in New Zealand, accounting for 0.09% of all business units nationally.
Future workforce demand
Between 2026 and 2031, the mining and exploration sector is expected to generate 971 total job openings. These include:
- 263 new jobs created through employment growth
- 708 replacement job openings, reflecting workforce turnover.
Where people work
- Auckland: 328
- Bay of Plenty: 78
- Waikato: 1,184
- Wellington: 180
- Canterbury: 206
- Rest of North Island: 548
- Rest of South Island: 1,685
Top occupations
The top five occupations in 2025 were:
- Driller: 645 jobs
- Miner: 322 jobs
- Driller’s Assistant: 189 jobs
- Machine Operators: 136 jobs
- Diesel Motor Mechanic: 121 jobs
These represent 1,412 jobs, 33.6% of total Mining and Exploration in New Zealand.
Self-employment in 2025
In 2025, 378 workers in mining and exploration were self‑employed, resulting in a 9% self‑employment rate.
Workers in the Mining and Exploration sectors are less likely to be self-employed than workers in New Zealand as a whole.
Sector productivity
In 2025, the mining and exploration sector generated $1,847 million in GDP, contributing 0.4% of New Zealand’s total GDP.
GDP declined slightly between 2020 and 2025, at an average rate of ‑0.5% per year.
Over the longer period 2015–2025, GDP grew at 0.7% per year, well below overall national GDP growth.
Productivity, measured as GDP per full‑time equivalent (FTE), was $458,952, significantly higher than the national average of $174,045.
Ethnicity of workers
In 2025, mining and exploration workers were predominantly European.
Māori were represented at a higher proportion relative to total New Zealand employment.
Asian and Pacific Peoples represented at much lower proportions than in the national workforce.
Highest post‑school qualifications (2023)
Among mining and exploration workers with formal qualifications, Level 4 was the most common.
Just over 40% of the workforce hold no formal qualifications.
Age profile of workers
The age distribution of mining and exploration workers broadly reflects the national workforce.
- A smaller proportion of workers are aged 15–24
- The majority are in the 25–64 age range
- Workers aged 65+ account for a notable share, reflecting the experience required in many roles.
Female participation
Women made up 14.8% of the mining and exploration workforce in 2025, compared with 48% across New Zealand.
Female participation in the sector has remained relatively stable over time.
Hours worked
Mining and exploration workers were more likely to work longer hours.
Most worked 40–49 hours per week, however a relatively high proportion worked 50 hours or more, compared with the national workforce.
Fewer workers were employed in part‑time hour brackets.
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These reports were defined by MITO Limited. Data sourced from Infometrics and Statistics New Zealand.