Furniture Packer/Mover
Kaiuta/Kaiwhakaneke Taonga
Alternative titles for this job
Furniture packers/movers pack furniture and equipment and move it between households, offices and storage places.
Pay
Furniture packers/movers usually earn
$23-$26 per hour
Source: Conroy Removals and New Zealand Van Lines, 2018.
Job opportunities
Vocational PathwaysPay
Pay for furniture packers/movers varies depending on skills and experience.
- Furniture packers/movers usually start on minimum wage an hour.
- Those with a Class 2 heavy vehicle licence usually earn $24 an hour.
- Those with a Class 5 heavy vehicle licence usually earn $26 an hour.
Sources: Conroy Removals and New Zealand Van Lines, 2018.
- PAYE.net.nz website - use this calculator to convert pay and salary information
- Employment New Zealand website - information about minimum wage rates
(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the sources of our pay information)
What you will do
Furniture packers/movers may do some or all of the following:
- discuss details of moves with clients
- take an inventory of items and record any marks or damage
- drive a truck or van
- wrap and pack goods
- carry furniture, cartons and other items to the furniture removal vehicle
- load and secure items
- unload items and unpack them
- reassemble any furniture that has been disassembled
- clean and tidy moving sites and equipment.
Skills and knowledge
Furniture packers/movers need to have:
- good furniture-packing skills
- knowledge of how to safely move difficult items such as pianos
- health and safety knowledge
- the ability to pack a truck so that it is balanced
- the ability to read office plans and road maps
- good driving skills
- strong customer service skills.
Working conditions
Furniture packers/movers:
- usually work long hours, including evenings, weekends and public holidays
- work at and between offices, homes and warehouses
- work in hard-to-access environments such as houses on steep hills
- travel locally and nationally.
What's the job really like?
Joshua Hankins
Furniture Packer/Mover
Out and about
Every day is different for furniture packer/mover Joshua Hankins. Most of the time he’s moving furniture across town, but sometimes he goes even further afield.
"I’ve been all over the country with work. I’ve been to Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington and all over the North Island. The travelling is pretty good, except for the early starts."
Good work-life balance
The nature of the work a mover does means Joshua can sometimes work long hours, but overall he has a top-notch work-life balance.
"Sometimes I do seven-hour days and other times I work 12, 13 or 14 hours a day. If you’re going away you do more hours than if you’re just working round town.
"But once you leave work you don’t have to think about it anymore. You get a few early finishes here and there and you still get your weekends as well."
Want to be a mover?
If you want to get a job as a furniture mover, Joshua recommends getting out there and finding work yourself.
"When I was still in school and looking for work I went into Conroy Removals in Napier to see if they had any part-time jobs going.
"If you want to be a mover you’ve got to take it on your own back and go into a moving business and ask if there is any work going. You’ve just got to ask the question and give it a go."
Entry requirements
There are no specific entry requirements to become a furniture packer/mover. However, a driver's licence and/or heavy vehicle licence is useful. A clean criminal record is required by most employers.
Personal requirements
Furniture packers/movers need to be:
- practical
- good planners and organisers
- careful and respectful
- responsible, reliable and honest
- able to follow instructions
- good at communicating
- patient and tolerant.
Useful experience
Useful experience for furniture packers/movers includes:
- jobs that involve packing or heavy lifting
- driving vans, trucks or other heavy vehicles
- labouring experience – for example, on a building site.
Physical requirements
Furniture packers/movers need to have excellent fitness and health and must be strong.
What are the chances of getting a job?
High turnover means furniture packer/mover vacancies common
Opportunities for furniture packers/movers are good because:
- demand for them is growing due to factors such as first-home buyers moving from cities to provincial areas
- people tend to stay in the role for a short time only, due to its physically demanding nature, which means vacancies arise often.
According to the Census, 963 furniture packers/movers worked in New Zealand in 2018.
Casual work as a furniture packer/mover may lead to full-time work
Your best chance of getting full-time work in furniture moving is to start as a casual employee. Furniture-moving companies usually hire casual workers between December and January, when more people move house.
Employers may offer permanent jobs to casual workers who show they have the right skills and ability.
Chances best for those with truck licences
Your chances of securing a job as a furniture packer/mover are higher if you have a heavy vehicle licence (Class 2 or higher), as you can then operate furniture-moving trucks.
Employers of furniture packers/movers range from small to large
Furniture packers/movers work for private companies that range from small, owner-operated firms to large international companies.
Sources
- Berge, G, owner/director, VanMan, Careers Directorate – Tertiary Education Commission interview, March 2018.
- Brigden, D, group human resources manager, New Zealand Van Lines, Careers Directorate – Tertiary Education Commission interview, February 2018.
- Conroy, F, general manager, Conroy Removals, Careers Directorate – Tertiary Education Commission interview, March 2018.
- Stats NZ, '2018 Census Data', 2019.
(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the sources of our job opportunities information)
Progression and specialisations
Furniture packers/movers may progress to set up their own moving company.
Furniture packers/movers load and secure items onto moving trucks (Photo: Total Care Removals)
Last updated 4 April 2023