Goodbye ANZSCO, hello NOL, the new occupation classification system

Key takeaways

NOL has replaced ANZSCO for statutory purposes. ANZSCO is retired, but both versions of NOL (v1 released November 2024, v2 released 1 July 2025) are now active and usable.
Immigration New Zealand has not committed to a migration date. INZ has indicated it will move to NOL but recent policy changes have complicated the timeline. Practitioners should not assume a near-term switch.
NOL is a flat list, not a hierarchy. The old 5-level ANZSCO structure (managers, professionals, technicians, etc.) has been replaced with a flat list of around 1,300 occupations and growing.
The 6-digit ANZSCO code has been retained to minimise IT system disruption, and the 5 skill levels remain for continuity.
Updates are now annual, on 1 January. Proposals received by 31 October each year are assessed for inclusion in the following January release.
NOL is user-driven. Stats NZ is not proactively reviewing every occupation. Industry, employers, advisers, and individuals can submit proposals to add, change, or revise occupations.
Skill level 3 changes are scrutinised heavily because they have direct immigration consequences. New occupations entering at skill level 3 are easier to approve than existing ANZSCO occupations being moved up.
Each NOL occupation links to Te Hātu for richer information on education providers, skills, and job vacancies. Te Hātu is increasingly used by INZ for market rate assessments.
Te Hātu only covers around 800 of the 1,300+ NOL occupations. Where no Te Hātu link exists, advisers will need to rely on NOL’s own task and duty statements.
ARIA is where NOL lives. The ARIA Coding Service (searchable by occupation title) is more practical than browsing the raw list, which paginates 50 occupations at a time.
Definitions can now be exported from ARIA as Word, PDF, or Excel, including synonyms and exclusion text, via the print dialog box.
NOL has been mapped back to ANZSCO for time series, and forward to Australia’s new OSCAR classification and the international ISCO standard.
Around 200 change submissions have been received so far, with strong contributions from primary industries, joinery and timber, and individual sporting bodies.
Personal “my visa case” submissions are not given weight. Proposals need industry-level rationale and evidence (job vacancy data, qualification pathways) to be considered.

Stats New Zealand has retired ANZSCO for statutory purposes and replaced it with the National Occupation List (NOL), a new framework for classifying occupations in New Zealand. The change has significant implications for immigration advisers and employers because occupation classifications underpin Green List eligibility, AEWV assessments, market rate analysis, and a wide range of other immigration settings.

A principal analyst from the Classifications and Standards team at Stats NZ joined NZAMI members to walk through the move from ANZSCO to NOL, how the new classification works, how proposals for change are assessed, and where things sit with Immigration New Zealand’s adoption timeline. This article summarises the substantive content of that session.

1. Why occupation classifications exist

The presenter opened with an important framing point. Occupation classifications are developed by statistical agencies first and foremost for the production of official statistics. Under the Data and Statistics Act, the Government Statistician has authority to prescribe classifications for that purpose.

Other uses, including immigration settings, labour market analysis, workforce planning, and career guidance, are secondary. Stats NZ cannot control how other agencies adopt the classification, but it does mean classifications are primarily designed around statistical comparability rather than immigration policy needs.

The presenter was direct on one point. ANZSCO and NOL are not skills classifications. They use skill level as an attribute of an occupation, not as the building block of the classification itself. Skill level in NOL is indicative, not exhaustive or exact.

2. A brief history of how we got here

New Zealand has been classifying occupations since the 1850s. The lineage of the current system runs through the following.

1958, first international classification (ISCO) introduced by the ILO.
1968, task-based ISCO revision, used in New Zealand directly until 1990.
1988, ISCO moved to a skills-based approach.
1990 and 1995, New Zealand introduced and revised its own standard (NZSCO).
2006, ANZSCO released as a joint Australia/New Zealand classification, intended to be revised every 5 years.
2008, 2013, and 2019, ANZSCO updates and a partial skill-level refresh.
November 2024, NOL version 1 released.
1 July 2025, NOL version 2 released.

The intended 5-yearly ANZSCO revision cycle never really worked. The 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes pushed the New Zealand census from 2011 to 2013, throwing the revision cycle out of sync with Australia. ANZSCO became progressively less representative of the New Zealand labour market over time, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics dominating the joint process.

3. Why New Zealand walked away from ANZSCO

In 2023, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced AUD $24 million in funding and 30 staff to revise ANZSCO into a new Australian classification (OSCAR). Stats NZ has a standards team of 5, with 1 person working on ANZSCO. With a census underway in March 2023 and no comparable budget, joining the Australian revision was not viable.

Other drivers for the split included the following.

Divergent labour markets. Australian terms like “roof tiler” and “roof plumber” don’t apply in New Zealand, where “roofer” covers all roofing work. Qualification levels also diverge across sales reps, financial advisers, and various technician roles.
Technology has moved on. ANZSCO was designed for a printed-book model. Modern systems link via APIs and URLs, supporting machine-to-machine integration that ANZSCO’s hierarchical structure can’t accommodate.
Hierarchical classifications no longer fit. The top levels of ANZSCO never change, but conceptually what constitutes a “manager” or “professional” has shifted substantially over the classification’s lifetime.
Need to better reflect kaupapa Māori occupations. A longer-term goal is a Māori-by-Māori classification in Te Reo.

Stats NZ consulted users in August and October 2024 and an overwhelming majority supported dropping ANZSCO and moving to a New Zealand-specific list.

4. What NOL is and how it’s structured

NOL is a flat list of around 1,300 occupations, with no top-level hierarchy. Key structural features include the following.

6-digit ANZSCO codes retained to minimise disruption to IT systems carrying ANZSCO references.
5 skill levels retained for continuity.
No dual Australian/New Zealand titles. Occupations are named in New Zealand terms.
Specialisations have been removed. Where appropriate, they have been promoted to standalone occupations in their own right.
Alternative titles have been removed.
Expanded task and duty statements. ANZSCO limited descriptions to one sentence at the 6-digit level. NOL has no such limit, and many occupations now have much more expansive duty descriptions.
Registration requirements made explicit. Where an occupation requires registration under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement, this is stated with a link to the registration authority.
Greater granularity of skill pathways. Plumbing is one example. ANZSCO listed a single plumber occupation at NZQCF Level 4. NOL recognises apprentice, registered, and master plumber as distinct points on the qualification pathway.
Microcredentials and unit standards recognised. Skill level no longer reflects formal qualifications alone. Microcredentials, employability skills, and competencies can support a skill-level assignment.

5. Te Hātu integration

Each NOL occupation will link out to Te Hātu, the TEC careers platform, where additional information on education providers, skills, and job vacancies is available. The link will most likely be a URL embedded in the occupation rather than an API integration. Te Hātu currently covers around 800 occupations against NOL’s 1,300+, so not every occupation will have a Te Hātu link available.

This integration matters for immigration advisers because Immigration New Zealand is increasingly relying on Te Hātu for market rate assessments.

6. How updates to NOL work

NOL has moved to an annual release cycle on 1 January each year. The process is as follows.

Proposals received by 31 October are considered for the following 1 January release.
Proposals received from 1 November onwards roll forward to the subsequent year’s release.
Stats NZ assesses each proposal and works iteratively with the proposer to develop draft content.
During November each year, proposed new content is circulated to key stakeholders, including Immigration New Zealand, for comment.
The new version is then released in ARIA on 1 January.

Stats NZ has taken a hands-off approach to the consultation process. Other agencies, including INZ, are not in a position to veto content. Stats NZ has flagged that this remains an area of ongoing conversation with INZ.

7. How to submit a proposal

Proposals can be submitted in several ways.

Online form on the Stats NZ National Occupation List page (typing “National Occupation List” into the Stats NZ homepage search will get you there). This sends an automatic receipt.
Downloaded Excel template, useful where multiple changes are being proposed.
Email to the Occupations Database shared mailbox (Word, PDF, Excel, or general email all accepted). No automatic acknowledgement is sent.

Submissions should include occupation title, tasks, skill information including an NZQCF level, and any other supporting information. The more detail provided, the better. Stats NZ has emphasised that proposals supported by industry-level rationale and evidence (job vacancy data, qualification pathways) are far more likely to succeed than individual “my visa case” submissions.

8. The skill level 3 problem

The presenter was particularly direct about skill level 3 changes, given their immigration implications. Stats NZ applies the following approach.

Moving an existing ANZSCO occupation up from skill level 4 to 3 attracts more rigid scrutiny because of the direct downstream effect on visa settings.
Adding a brand new occupation at skill level 3 is easier because no existing classification is being changed.

One illustrative example raised was the meat industry. Halal slaughterer was introduced by INZ at skill level 3, while general slaughterer was at skill level 4. Stats NZ moved slaughterer to skill level 3 to maintain internal consistency, only for INZ to push back on the change.

Stats NZ has also acknowledged that many existing ANZSCO skill level 3 occupations are arguably no longer appropriate at that level given how work and technology have evolved since ANZSCO was created.

9. Submissions received so far

Around 200 change submissions have come through. Notable contributors include the following.

Workforce Development Councils (large volume of submissions prior to October 2024).
Primary industry and Horticulture New Zealand. The agriculture and horticulture occupations have been significantly expanded as a result.
Joinery and timber industries. Around 14 occupations now exist where ANZSCO had only 2.
Tennis New Zealand (tennis coaches addressed in July 2025) and Swimming New Zealand (swim coaches forthcoming).
Silver Fern Farms and the Meat Industry Association (meat boner and slicer being reworked).
Tip Top (ice cream manufacturing).

A significant volume of submissions has come from individuals seeking to upgrade their own role’s skill level for immigration purposes. These are not given weight.

10. Finding things in ARIA

ARIA is the platform where NOL and ANZSCO live. The presenter offered some practical guidance.

Both NOL v1 and NOL v2 are active. ANZSCO has been retired but remains available for reference.
The main NOL list paginates 50 occupations at a time, which is impractical for browsing 1,300+ entries. Stats NZ is working with the vendor to improve this.
The ARIA Coding Service (linked on the left of the ARIA homepage) is the better tool for search and discovery. Select the classification, type the occupation, and click search.
When searching, change the default from “code and name” to “definition and synonyms” for richer results. A search for “house painter” under the default returns “vehicle painter” and “painter visual arts”, but with definition and synonyms enabled returns “painting trades worker” as the first match.
The “level” field shown next to a code in ARIA refers to classification level, not skill level. It indicates where the occupation sits in the classification structure, not the NZQCF level associated with the role.

11. Exporting definitions

A common practitioner frustration is the difficulty of printing occupation definitions for client use. The presenter confirmed there is an option in the ARIA dropdown (look for the three lines on the side) that opens a dialog box. From there, users can select definition text, synonyms, and exclusion text, and export to Word, PDF, or Excel. The Word output is not the most polished format but the content is usable.

Stats NZ has also offered to provide demos of ARIA and the Coding Service to user groups on request via the Occupations Database email.

12. Where Immigration New Zealand sits

This is the open question for advisers and the presenter was candid about the uncertainty. INZ has indicated it will move to NOL but has not committed to a date. Recent immigration policy changes (referenced as conversations between ministers Stanford, Upston, and Reti on NOL and impactful immigration settings) have added complexity to the timeline.

Stats NZ originally hoped agencies would be off ANZSCO by the 2028 Census. That target is being reconsidered given changes to the future census model. For now, agencies (including INZ) can choose when or if to move.

13. Mapping and continuity

For advisers concerned about continuity, NOL has been mapped in three directions.

Back to ANZSCO for time series and historical comparability.
To OSCAR, Australia’s new occupation classification.
To ISCO, the international standard.

This means data and analysis built on ANZSCO can be translated forward, and cross-jurisdictional comparisons remain possible.

Practical action points for immigration advisers

Familiarise yourself with NOL via the ARIA Coding Service (not the main ARIA list view). Try searches with “definition and synonyms” enabled.
Use the export dialog to produce client-ready Word or PDF definitions where you need to attach occupation context to a submission.
For occupations where you believe the ANZSCO skill level no longer reflects the actual role, prepare an evidence-backed proposal (industry data, qualification pathways, job vacancy data) and submit to Stats NZ by 31 October to be considered for the next 1 January release.
Coordinate proposals with industry bodies where possible. Industry submissions carry weight that individual submissions do not.
Continue using ANZSCO codes for INZ purposes until INZ formally migrates. Do not assume a near-term switch.
Familiarise yourself with Te Hātu, which is being used increasingly by INZ for market rate assessments and will be linked from NOL occupations.
Where a client’s role is in a sector with significant recent NOL changes (agriculture, horticulture, joinery and timber, meat processing), check the current NOL definition against the ANZSCO definition to understand what might change when INZ migrates.

Closing thought

The move from ANZSCO to NOL is more than a renaming exercise. It is a structural shift to a flatter, more responsive, user-driven classification with annual updates and richer integration with the broader careers and labour market ecosystem. For immigration advisers, the most important thing in the near term is that ANZSCO still governs INZ decision-making, but the underlying classification it is built on has been retired. Building familiarity with NOL now, and contributing to its evolution where industry alignment exists, will pay off when INZ does eventually migrate, whatever the timeline turns out to be.