Your tech recruitment partner since 2004
Kia ora, we’re Potentia! As New Zealand’s most awarded technology recruitment agency, our amazing people have been supporting Kiwi employers for over two decades.
Startups. SMEs. Enterprises. Public Sector. Private Sector. Wherever you fit in, our consultants support Kiwi employers with everything from permanent and contract recruitment, to leadership search assignments, not to mention payrolling! From day one, our tech recruiters have been connecting organisations like yours with the best talent New Zealand has to offer.
While recruitment will always be at our core, everything we do is about increasing the productivity of New Zealand's tech sector. For us, it all comes down to one of the pillars of our business: Manaakitanga (or reciprocity of kindness, respect, generosity and humility). By genuinely supporting communities that are critical to the future of the tech sector, we’re making a real difference…far beyond what you’d ever expect from a tech recruitment agency.
Contract recruitment
The nature of your business means that when you’re met with demand for contractors, speed and flexibility is critical to your success. Whether you’re surging forward with planned programmes or bridging a skills gap that requires a short-term specialist, we’re here to support you with all your contract recruitment needs.
Payrolling
If payroll admin is something that you'd rather not deal with, we can take it off your hands! Potentia offers a full-service payrolling solution that's all about saving your time and resources...so you won't have to worry about the logistics of paying your contractors again. One invoice and we do the rest.
Why Potentia?
We are connected
With established networks that have been built up over several decades, we’re one of the most connected tech recruitment agencies in New Zealand. For you, this means not only having access to the market’s active job seekers, but also the best off-market talent you’ll find – passive candidates that partner exclusively with us because we’ve been with them throughout their career.
We harness tech too
As a tech recruitment agency, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t know how to harness tech ourselves to support client recruitment processes. Every touchpoint you have with our consultants is supported with modern tools that we’ve either developed ourselves or integrated for efficiency.
We are prioritising candidate wellbeing
The first few months of a new job can take its toll on people’s mental health and in turn their productivity. Completely self-managed, all placed Potentia candidates (both permanent and contract) receive access to our unique wellbeing discovery programme, with in-house wellbeing expert, Gayle Johnston. All contractors also benefit from Te Aka Painga – our contractor wellbeing offering.
We have one eye on the future
Whether it’s providing startup advisory/support, helping to bridge the gap between studies and employment (through Taitamariki Potentia) or tackling the underrepresentation of Māori & Pasifika in tech, we’re passionate about the same things you are. A healthy, diverse and productive economy fueled by innovation.
Hear from our clients
“I have used Potentia for recruitment, when looking for high quality and performing candidates in a large multinational organisation, and as a candidate when looking for my next opportunity. On both occasions, Potentia has exceeded my expectations. The fact that they work with urgency, honesty, empathy, positivity and professionalism makes them easy to work with.”
Head of IT Operations
I’ve worked with Potentia as both a candidate and a client multiple times over the last four years and have had nothing but great experiences. Sarah and Julian are wonderful, genuine and caring people who both took time to really get to know me and understand what I was looking for (on both sides of the recruitment process).
VP Engineering
“I thought it was an impossible task, but all the stars aligned and the team made it incredibly seamless. We reached out for an urgent need for testing capability and within a couple of hours had all the forms signed and they started at 8.30am the next morning. Thank you!”
Head of Delivery and Capability
I really appreciate Abe from Potentia. He is engaged, enthusiastic, he really looks after his clients and is the most reliable person ever. Let's talk about Potentia’s timesheeting and contracting system – it’s so efficient and seamless, I absolutely love it.
Programme Manager
FAQ
Software engineer salaries reflect current demand for talent and skills. Currently, the median salary for a Senior Software Engineer in New Zealand is NZ$130,000 per year, depending on experience and environment.
We compile local salary trends in our compensation report so you’re up to date on how market demand is influencing Software Engineer salaries year on year.
A recruitment agency is most valuable when hiring requires more than advertising and screening applicants. This includes situations where market conditions are uncertain, the skill set is niche, or access to passive candidates is necessary.
In the New Zealand tech market, the talent pool is relatively concentrated and many experienced professionals are not actively applying for roles. Agencies with established networks can access candidates who are open to the right opportunity but not visible through job boards.
For permanent roles in New Zealand, recruitment agency fees typically range from 15 percent to 25 percent of the candidate’s first year base salary. The exact figure depends on the seniority and complexity of the role, how competitive the market is, and the level of involvement required.
For contract positions, agencies usually apply a markup to the contractor’s hourly or daily rate. This markup covers the cost of sourcing, payroll, compliance, and ongoing management for the duration of the contract, as well as the agencies profit margin.
In New Zealand, a common estimate is that a bad hire costs at least 30 percent of the employee’s annual salary. In many cases, the true cost is closer to six to nine months of pay once lost productivity, rehiring time, and management distraction are considered. For example, if a role pays NZ$140,000 per year, the cost of a bad hire can range from roughly NZ$40,000 to over NZ$100,000.
The financial impact is not just salary. It includes recruitment costs, onboarding time, team disruption, missed delivery targets, and the cost of restarting the hiring process.
In today’s market, the median salary for a Senior Business Analyst in New Zealand is NZ$122,000 per year in a permanent role and NZ$120 per hour as a contractor. What makes the difference is not just years of experience, but the type of problems being solved. Analysts who operate in niches, close to senior stakeholders or across major system change tend to command stronger packages.
For a clearer picture of where the market is moving, including recent shifts in demand, see our latest compensation report.
