Pay rises are on the way for Auckland politicians.
Pay rises are on the way for Auckland politicians.
The salary of Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has risen to nearly $300,000 under a shake-up of pay for the region's politicians.
If Goff wins a second term at October's local body election, his salary will rise by 5.6 per cent from $279,562 to $296,000 in November.
But several Local Boardchairs will receive bigger increases after the elections following the latest determination from the Remuneration Authority, which has been reviewing pay scales.
This has included looking beyond the size of Local Boards - which largely determined pay until now - to consider other factors, such as the degree of social deprivation of the board area.
The authority has also decided to give the 20 councillors a pool of money that must be distributed as they see fit on top of a base salary of $106,306. This is more than $5000 less than the current base salary of $111,901.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff stands to earn nearly $300,000 is he is re-elected in November.
Currently, the deputy mayor and the chairs of the main committee get paid set salaries above the base rate.
All councillors and local board members will get a 2 per cent rise between July and November.
The chairs of the Papakura and Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Boards in South Auckland have been given the largest pay increases.
Lemauga Lydia Sosene, the two-term chair of the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board, told the Herald she was really surprised at the two-step rise of 16 per cent to $99,000, making her the highest paid Local Board chair.
Mangere-Otahuhu Local Board chairwoman Lydia Sosene is in line for a big salary increase.
She said all the Local Board chairs had been given the opportunity last year to provide feedback to the Remuneration Authority on the size, role and duties of their jobs.
"Wherever they have landed has been based on the evidence and information they received," Sosene said.
She said her full-time role as board chair ran to more than 60 hours a week, including Saturdays, attending events, governing body meetings and facing the challenge of the email in box.
The chair of the Papakura Local Board, currently Brent Catchpole, will get a 19 per cent pay rise in two steps to $91,800; and the third biggest increase will go to the chair of the Waitemata Local Board, rising 16 per cent to $96,600.
Waitematā Local Board chairwoman Pippa Coom is stepping down to stand for the Waitematā and Gulf ward.
Goff declined to comment.
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