Air New Zealand · First Officer / Copilote
First Officer Turboprop Fleet (ATR / Dash 8 Q300) - bases across New Zealand
Air New Zealand is inviting expressions of interest for future First Officer roles on its turboprop fleet. The role is based in the right-hand seat of an ATR or a Dash 8 Q300, across several bases in the country, and can serve as a pathway towards the airline's jet fleet.
- Employer
- Air New Zealand
- Position
- First Officer / Copilote
- Base
- Plusieurs bases en Nouvelle-Zélande
- Aircraft
- ATR et Dash 8 Q300
- Contract
- non indiqué
- Pay (public sources)
- Pay scale not published by Air New Zealand; entry as first officer on ATR or Dash 8 Q300, five-step selection with a two-day assessment in Auckland (2026)
- Seen
- 8 October 2026
Key points
- First Officer entry level position, right-hand seat
- Aircraft: ATR and Dash 8 Q300
- Multiple bases available across New Zealand
- Potential pathway to the jet fleet
- Online application only, logbook and licence details required
What the employer asks for
- NZCAA CPL/ATPL licence (NZCAA ATPL or all ATPL subjects passed preferred)
- NZCAA MEIR rating
- NZCAA Class 1 Medical
- 500 hours total flight time
- 25 night hours
- 40 hours instrument flight time
- NZCAA BTK/BGT endorsements
- English Language Proficiency level L6
- New Zealand citizenship/permanent residency/residency, or Australian citizenship
- Ability to travel overseas, valid passport and necessary visas
- Applications possible during foreign licence conversion to NZCAA, under stated conditions
What the employer offers
- Development opportunities in training, management and projects
- Pilots encouraged to act as leaders within their roles
The selection process
- Online application required
- Every application reviewed, processing time varies due to volume received
- Candidates encouraged to keep application updated with any changes in experience, qualifications or hours
- Contact only if application progresses to the next stage
Summary written by ForAllPilots from the employer's posting. Only the official posting counts: check every condition before you apply.
Legacy long-haul airline
Air New Zealand at a glance
New Zealand's flag carrier and a Star Alliance member since 1999, linking Auckland with Asia, North America and the Pacific and serving a dense domestic network with its regional aircraft.
- Bases
- Auckland (main), Christchurch and Wellington
- Fleet
- Boeing 787-9 and 777-300ER; Airbus A320neo and A321neo; ATR 72-600 and Dash 8 Q300 (Air New Zealand Link regional network)
Pilot recruitment
Entry is typically as a first officer on the ATR or Q300, at bases around New Zealand; jet roles (second officer on the 787/777, first officer on the A320/A321) go first to internal turboprop pilots. Published turboprop requirements: NZCAA CPL or higher, a current instrument rating and MEIR, 500 hours total time, NZCAA Class 1 medical and English level 6; applications are open to New Zealand citizens and residents and to Australian citizens. Jet roles require an NZCAA ATPL (or CPL with all ATPL subjects passed), 1 500 hours including 100 multi-engine, and multi-crew turboprop command or airline jet first officer experience. Selection involves online assessments and a two-day event in Auckland (simulator, interview, exercises); type rating and line training take about three months. Air New Zealand launched an « International Pilot Cadetship » in 2024 and is developing a New Zealand cadetship (« Mangōpare »), currently closed to applications. Check conditions on the Air New Zealand careers page.
Pay and conditions, from public sources
Figures published by the airline, pilot unions or the press, each one dated (last update: October 2026). For information only.
- Pay: neither the careers page nor the first officer posting mentions salary; pay is set by collective agreements negotiated with the NZALPA union (October 2026).
- Entry: pilots start as first officers on the turboprop fleet (ATR or Dash 8 Q300) at several bases around New Zealand, and these pilots get priority for moving to jets (October 2026).
- Turboprop requirements: New Zealand CPL or ATPL (ATPL or all theory exams preferred), MEIR, Class 1 medical, 500 hours total including 25 night and 40 instrument hours, English level 6 (October 2026).
- Nationality: the posting is open to New Zealand citizens or residents and Australian citizens; foreign licences must be converted with the New Zealand authority before any offer (October 2026).
- Direct jet entry: requires, among other routes, 12 months of multi-crew turboprop command, or 12 months as a jet first officer or captain, or equivalent Royal New Zealand Air Force experience (October 2026).
- Selection: application, online tests (cognitive ability, references, logbook), then two days in Auckland with a simulator assessment, interview, written tests and a group exercise, followed by security and medical checks before the offer (October 2026).
- Training: type rating and line training take about three months after an induction phase (October 2026).
- Collective agreement: the regional turboprop pilots' agreement was ratified on 30 September 2022, with gains on job security, allowances and flexible flying according to NZALPA (December 2022).
Give yourself every chance
A first officer selection usually combines a technical test (ATPL and aircraft knowledge), aptitude tests, a group exercise, an HR and technical interview, then a simulator check.
Revise the ATPL subjects that come up most in technical interviews: performance, meteorology, systems, procedures. Prepare concrete examples of crew teamwork for the interview.
If the posting mentions aptitude tests, practise the most common families of exercises: mental arithmetic, multitasking, orientation, reasoning.