New Zealand’s second optometry workforce salary survey is now open for all registered optometrists.

The anonymous, voluntary survey is conducted by Robert Ng, senior lecturer at the University of Auckland’s School of Optometry and Vision Science. It is the only publicly available salary data for New Zealand optometrists at present, said Ng. “The survey allows for transparency and benefits both the employee and employer. As much as an employee wants to be paid appropriately, an employer wants to do the same.”

Although there was some pushback regarding the previous report, Ng said he appreciates the support he has received from colleagues who found the data useful, both for individual salary discussions and for negotiating hospital collective agreements. “The feedback I've received shows this is a valuable resource and it’s being used. As much as I would like to make this an annual survey, my time constraints mean this will be done biennially, alternating with the optometry fees survey, which I hope to do next year.”

The survey is available at www.tinyurl.com/nzoptomsalary2024 or via the QR code below and takes about five minutes to complete. The closing date is 30 September 2024.