The most recent report, which covers the November 2010-August 2011 period, revealed a two percent drop in median salary, from $76,500 to $75,000.

Data for the survey is compiled from 20,000 anonymous entries on AbsoluteIT's itsalaries.co.nz website, where IT staffers enter their details.

AbsoluteIT director Grant Burley says the slight fall in median salary is a result of a dip in demand for IT staff. This is due to several factors, including government department budget cuts and ongoing economic uncertainty.

"Many government agencies have been asked to cut their budgets by 10 percent -- there are significant cuts across the board," Burley says.

However, the two percent decline isn't evenly distributed across all IT skill-sets; in areas that enable organisations to get more value out of existing IT infrastructure without making new investments, there is demand for expertise.