Job opportunities for oceanographers are limited in New Zealand. Many people who study oceanography go overseas for experience and work, where opportunities are better.

Competition for oceanographer jobs strong

Only a few oceanographer vacancies come up each year in New Zealand, because people tend to stay in these jobs for a long time. Competition for academic jobs at universities and polytechnics is particularly strong, because the number of positions is limited. 

Candidates with multi-disciplinary skills and practical skills have better chances of getting work

Oceanography incorporates features of many sciences – including physics, biology, chemistry, geology and meteorology – as they apply to oceans. Your job opportunities are better if your tertiary study combined two or more of these disciplines.

Having both practical as well as theoretical skills in oceanography also increases your chances of getting job.

Good job opportunities overseas for oceanographers

Most oceanographers who get their PhD in New Zealand move overseas after completing their study. Most start off as postdoctoral research fellows getting experience in fixed-term positions of two to three years. These oceanographers often stay on in permanent positions.

Environmental awareness boosting long-term opportunities for oceanographers

Job opportunities in environment-related oceanographic research have grown in the past few years. Funding for such research has increased because understanding oceans means we can make better predictions about the effects of climate change, global warming and rising ocean levels. Such funding is likely to keep growing in the longer term, as environmental issues become more pressing.

Research opportunities in areas like wave energy generation are also likely to increase, as the Government focuses on finding sustainable sources of energy.

Most oceanographers in New Zealand work for Crown research institutes such as:

• the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Science (NIWA) – the largest employer of oceanographers
• the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS Science).

Oceanographers can also work for:

• research consultancies – as contractors doing specific research for private or public sector organisations; for example, port companies, offshore oil and gas industries or regional councils
• universities – as teachers and lecturers
• local authorities such as regional and city councils – as advisers and technicians, mostly monitoring pollution levels in sea water
• ministries and government departments – developing and analysing policy
• state-owned enterprises such as the MetService – as advisers and technicians.

Most oceanographers are based at NIWA's Wellington office. Some also work in the Auckland, Canterbury and Otago regions, where the main Crown research institutes and universities are found. Oceanographers working for regional councils are spread throughout the country.

Computer modelling has become an important part of oceanographic research, as it helps to translate research data into computer simulations of the ocean. In the future, it is likely that virtual reality techniques will increasingly be used to help oceanographers visualise ocean conditions and changes. This means job opportunities for oceanographers with good computer and mathematical skills are likely to grow.

Research is also going on into new electronic technologies to explore the ocean, from new ways to measure water properties to intelligent underwater gliders that cross the ocean on their own collecting data.