In New Zealand, published freelance rates for are NZ$0.10–NZ$0.60 a word.
Pay rates for journalists in New Zealand, as published by unions, governments and surveys, each quoted as printed and turned into a day's pay to compare. How the pay guide works →
Each published rate as a day's pay
US$ a day at the ECB rate for the month. A month is 12 payments over 260 working days, or 13 or 14 where the agreement says so; a year is 260 days; a shift counts as a day.
| Type of work | What | As printed | US$ a day | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance | Freelance writing or journalism, per hour | NZ$25–NZ$55 an hour | $179.54 | NZSA · Recommended minimums |
Journalism in New Zealand
Leading news outlets
The highest-ranked news sites based in New Zealand in EventRegistry's news-source ranking, most important first. Updated monthly.
In the 2026 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), New Zealand ranks 22 of 180, with a score of 77.4 out of 100. Down 6 places on the year before.
RSF World Press Freedom Index ↗By job type
Rates documents 4
Unions and bodies in New Zealand
About this data. These rates are compiled from publicly available sources and quoted as printed, with their date. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any figure. For information only: Journalist.net does not recommend or set rates. How we count