The New Zealand Educational Institute is lashing out at the Tertiary Education Minister for releasing figures on the jobs that pay the most.

Steven Joyce has released the figures to underline the importance of students studying for highly paid occupations so they can enjoy a prosperous future.

But NZEI's Lynda Stuart said that provides a narrow view of what students should be aiming for - and there's more to success in life than money.

"We want people who, in our society, think about celebrating and taking their own passions forward and contributing to our society in the best way possible".

Lynda Stuart said as for her own industry, people wouldn't be able to gain highly paid jobs without teachers.

But Steven Joyce said he absolutely values the role teachers make in our society.

"I would also point out that teachers earnings are in the mid-range of the tables released," he said.

"The role of the earnings outcomes information is to better inform young people about the sort of incomes they can earn as a result of their study.

"It is factual information drawn from the taxation database. It is one useful input into the study decisions made by students and their families.

"In my view it's for students to assess the relative importance of post-study incomes in determining their study choices alongside other factors like their passion for a particular profession."