TradeMe data shows the average for this year's first quarter came in at just over 68-thousand dollars, up three-thousand on 2022's first quarter.
But on the West Coast the average rose 11 percent - now the second highest in the country at close to 70-thousand.
TradeMe Job's Matt Tolich says other regions are catching up to metro areas.
He says there were other records in Southland, Nelson, Tasman and Otago - which is due to skill shortages and a willingness to pay for good talent.