New classification system for occupations provides better clarity for workers

On 20 November, StatsNZ released the National Occupation List (NOL) which replaces the Australia and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). This provides a New Zealand-focused classification of occupations that better reflects roles relevant to our labour market.

Muka Tangata, supported by industry representatives and other stakeholders, submitted recommendations to StatsNZ and we are pleased to highlight some of the inclusions in the NOL:

• Golf Course Manager has been added as an occupation.
• Greenkeeper has been renamed Sports Turf Worker to better reflect the range of sports turf facilities. 
• Nursery Propagator (Specialist), Nursery Production Leading Hand, Nursery Production Worker and Nursery Production Supervisor replace Nurseryperson and Horticultural Nursery Assistant to better define the types of roles in the labour market.
• Bew roles for irrigation are Irrigation Technician, Irrigation Designer, Irrigation Manager, Irrigation Installer, Irrigation Salesperson, Irrigation Operator, Irrigation Performance Assessor.

The inclusions of these new roles, and others, will ensure that job seekers, training programme developers, and workforce data analysts will have a more accurate reflection of food and fibre workforce. 

StatsNZ will update the NOL on an annual basis as from 1 January 2026. Updates can include adding new or emerging occupations or changes to an existing occupation such as title, definition or skill level.  Further information can be found on StatsNZ: About the National Occupation List.

We will use NOL data in our reporting as it’s adopted by StatsNZ and other government departments.