Animal and nature lovers looking for a rare opportunity to turn their passion into a new line of work could find their dream job waiting online.
Current opportunities to work with dogs, goats, insects and fish advertised on employment website SEEK show that physical fitness and a love of animals is a common theme.
Newshub took a look at five jobs up for grabs in the farming, animals and conservation sector, where the average salary of $69,843 indicates that a jump could be worthwhile.
Dog walking in Auckland
Dog-lovers looking to swap the air-conditioned office for a pair of sneakers and the great outdoors could find that walking pooches is more up their alley.
Auckland-based company Fetch is looking for a professional dog walker for just under full-time hours. Applicants must be fit, have a full driver's license and of course, love dogs.
Advertised under 'Farming, Animals and Conservation' - 'Veterinary Service & Animal Welfare', the average salary for the category on SEEK is $68,000.
Goat handling and hoof trimming in the Waikato
People who feel comfortable in gumboots and a swannie may be interested in the role of goat handler and hoof trimmer for Goat Care Limited, servicing farms across the Waikato.
Required to be fit, have an eye for detail and empathy and patience with animals, the successful person will start out by feeding goats up to the trimmer using a "tipping cradle" before stepping up to hoof trimming.
Advertised under 'Farming, Animals and Conservation' - 'Veterinary Service & Animal Welfare', the average salary for the category on SEEK is $68,000.
Honey extraction in the Waikato and Masterton
People who are fit and not afraid of a hard day's work may be up to the challenge of extracting honey for a living.
A Masterton-based company is looking for a 'honey extraction labourers', while Three Peaks Manuka Honey based in Te-Kowhai is looking for a 'honey extraction team member'.
Labourers should be able to lift "30kgs to waist height repetitively," while the team member position requires a "willingness to learn", "ability to follow instruction" and "commitment to a team".
Advertised under 'Farming, Animals and Conservation' - 'other', the average salary for the category on SEEK is $83,000.
Animal ambulance driver in Napier
A clean driver's license and willingness to work the afternoon shift are the top requirements for the role of 'on-call ambulance driver' for the SPCA in Napier.
Confidence driving a manual van, along with computer and people skills are a must, together with being willing to train in animal emergency first aid and qualify under the Animal Welfare Act.
Advertised under 'Farming, Animals and Conservation' - 'Veterinary Service & Animal Welfare', the average salary for the category on SEEK is $68,000.
Assistant aquarist in Auckland
Experienced divers who want to top up their income could consider working at Kelly Tarltons as a part-time assistant aquarist - and give up their Sunday sleep-ins.
Helping to run the aquarium, care for sea-life and educating visitors is all part of a day's work. The role requires SCUBA certification and the ability to "bend/stoop, squat, crawl, crouch, kneel, balance, climb heights and carry and lift up to 30kg."
Advertised under 'Farming, Animals and Conservation' - 'Fishing & Aquaculture', the average (full-time) salary for the category on SEEK is $73,000.
The average salary within the farming, animals and conservation is just shy of $70,000 - well above the median nationwide salary of $52,000 - but almost $11,000 less than the average salary of $80,822 across all SEEK jobs nationwide*.
With a range of job opportunities available - with some seeking attributes beyond pure academic ability - for animal-lovers looking to jump into a related line of work, that dream job could be just a hop, step and a jump away.
*Statistics New Zealand household survey - median average weekly earnings 2019 ($1000), SEEK - national average salary for December quarter, 2019.
