“The amount is correct, but it reflects the amount that was paid to three people who were in the CE role during that financial year,” they said.
“The amount includes the remuneration of the current CE Andrew Moraes who started in March 2024, as well as the remuneration of the previous CE Geoff Williams, who was entitled to be paid out a balance of his contract when he left in September 2023, in addition to the salary paid to the acting CE, Gina Rangi, before Mr Moraes started.”
Moraes’ current remuneration is actually more likely to be $338,139 (an unaudited figure as the council’s 2024/25 annual report has not yet been adopted).
This would move the council from fourth on the list to 53rd, just ahead of neighbouring Whakatāne District Council.
Rotorua Lakes Council Mayor Tania Tapsell called the Taxpayers’ Union’s result “disappointing click bait”.
But a Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson said their methodology is clearly stated.
“Every figure on the list includes the total remuneration spent on the chief exec role in the 23/24 financial year, and every CEO is clearly named both on the list and on social media. We did clearly name all three in the media releases and online, and describe it as Rotorua Lakes Council spending a total of $695,961 on remuneration for their CEO role,” they said.
However, Tapsell said the presentation was a deception and the figure presented obviously absurd.
“[It] doesn’t acknowledge the significant changes we’ve made locally in Rotorua to cut costs and restructure our organisation to better serve our community,” she said.
Tapsell said the figure reflected a transition period when the council was appointing a new chief executive.
“I was quite surprised at their disrespectful and uninformed opinion on this matter and it’s difficult to correct misleading comments like theirs once it’s online.”
Tauranga City Council also took issue with the way the Taxpayers’ Union had calculated Grenfell’s salary.
“The Taxpayers Union appears to have counted the superannuation scheme contribution twice (it was already included in the total remuneration number) and has added vehicle-related fringe benefits ($12,500) to the remuneration number,” a spokesperson said.
The council said for the 2024/25 financial year, Grenfell’s salary was $611,402.25, inclusive of employer contributions to Kiwisaver. Vehicle fringe benefits again totalling $12,500 was on top of that figure.
The Taxpayers’ Union said they included fringe benefits in the figure as they are part of the total remuneration given to the chief executive and paid for by ratepayers.
They accepted they interpreted the wording of the annual report as the super not being included in the total remuneration but said it made little difference.
“Regardless, Marty Grenfell would retain his ranking both regionally and nationally even without a duplication of the $4403 super contribution.”
Grenfell’s current remuneration was 11 times the salary of the lowest-paid council staff employee, who received the minimum annual remuneration of $55,822. It was also almost 3.5 times more than what Mayor Mahe Drysdale was paid.
