No one wants a pay cut - whether it's $45 or, in the case of the Prime Minister, $45,000.
But taking a pay cut isn't about you. It's about the bigger picture and in some cases perception and leadership.
Taking a pay cut may mean another person gets tokeep their job as businesses affected by Covid-19 struggle to keep afloat. Maybe a group of employees collectively taking a pay cut means a business makes it out the other end of these tough times.
If taking a pay cut means one or both of those things can happen, isn't it a no-brainer?
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But the pay cuts are not just confined to the private sector. This week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed all Government ministers and public sector chief executives would take a 20 per cent pay cut for six months.
This is about the Government and its top officials taking leadership and reflecting what is happening in the private sector.
National Party leader Simon Bridges asked to be included in the pay cut as did other Bay of Plenty-based MPs.
Elected and public officials work hard. There wouldn't be many who work just 40 hours a week in return for their handsome salaries.
But they also represent the community and right now the community is hurting. Jobs have been lost, work dried up and incomes slashed.
But not everyone who receives public money is getting on the pay-cut train.
In Rotorua, mayor Steve Chadwick last week labelled a suggestion of pay cuts for councillors and staff "just morally indefensible" and this week said trying to publicly shame or force elected members or council staff into a certain position was "morally wrong".
Rotorua Lakes Council chief executive Geoff Williams said asking the council's executive team to take a pay cut was "immoral" and something he did not fundamentally support.
The comments followed calls for pay cuts from Rotorua Residents and Ratepayers- affiliated councillors Raj Kumar, Peter Bentley and Reynold Macpherson and attracted letters to the editor in the Rotorua Daily Post. While elected officials can't take a pay cut as such, they can still donate a portion of their salary to a needy cause.
In Tauranga, mayor Tenby Powell said city councillors were open to the idea and he planned to follow the Government's lead.
Ultimately, in terms of councillors, it comes down to personal choice.
But what better way to represent the ratepayers and the wider community and show leadership than to stand in solidarity with them by taking a pay cut?
I also think council staff earning over $50,000 should also be invited to take a temporary cut.
It's a way to show support and that they understand what people are going through and likewise are also making a contribution.
But I believe our region's mayors, councillors and council chief executives, in particular, should follow the prime minister's example and reduce their pay accordingly.
In my opinion, it would be morally indefensible for them not to.
