Two updates on NZ Pathway today. One’s a new tool, the other’s something I should have done a while ago.
💰 Take-Home Pay Calculator
The cost-of-living calculator tells you what you’ll spend. People immediately asked: okay, but what will I actually earn?
So I built a salary calculator. Punch in your annual salary or hourly rate (plus hours per week), and it spits out your take-home pay — yearly, monthly, and weekly. It breaks down every deduction: income tax, ACC levy, student loan repayment, KiwiSaver. Nothing hidden.
The numbers come straight from IRD’s official 2026–27 tax tables. Five tax brackets from 10.5% to 39%. ACC is 1.75% capped at $156,641. Student loan kicks in at $24,128 and takes 12%. KiwiSaver is whatever you pick, 3% to 10%.
I spot-checked it against IRD’s own calculator: $91,000/year → about $69,500 after tax, roughly $5,792/month. Matches exactly.
The best part: it links straight to the cost-of-living calculator. Once you know your take-home pay, one click and you can see how that stacks against rent in Auckland, Wellington, or wherever.
📚 Guides Got Organized
The site had 28 guides scattered around with no real structure. It was fine when there were five. At twenty-eight, it’s a mess.
So I added categories. Every guide is now tagged and grouped:
- SMC Skilled Migration (7) — points system, application mistakes, partner points, the whole path
- Green List & Work Visas (3) — straight to residence vs work to residence, ANZSCO codes
- English Tests (1) — PTE vs IELTS, which is easier
- Life in New Zealand (3) — processing times, cost of moving, take-home pay basics
- Studying in New Zealand (2) — master’s costs, the study-to-work route
The index page now shows them in groups with counts, so you know where you are and what’s there. Small change, big difference in actually finding stuff.
Six tools now, plus 28 organized guides. The site’s starting to feel like a proper reference instead of a pile of pages I keep adding to.
As always, if the math looks off or something’s missing: nz-pathway.com/contact.