Whakatāne District Council elected members’ remuneration for the 2015/16 year is to increase following advice from New Zealand Remuneration Authority, which was received at a Council meeting on 23 April.
The Authority sets the salary for the Mayor, Councillors and Community Board Members. In 2013, remuneration moved from the “pool” system to a new approach which recognises councillors undertaking additional responsibilities, such as Committee Chairpersons, or work that flows from the District Plan process.
The Deputy Mayor is paid 1.4 times the Councillor base salary and Committee Chairpersons 1.25 times the base salary. A pool of money is available to each council to provide additional payment for members who take on additional responsibilities.
The remuneration review determinations for the Whakatāne District are as follows.
Position | Salary 2014/15 | Salary 2015/16 |
|---|---|---|
Mayor | 101,300 Vehicle (personal use) 3,526 Net salary 97,774 | 105,400 Vehicle (personal use) 3,526 Net salary 101,874 |
Deputy Mayor | 37,380 | 39,480 |
Committee Chairpersons | 33,375 | 35,250 |
Councillors | 26,700 | 28,200 |
Community Boards |
|
|
Murupara and Tāneatua | 3,200 | 3,700* |
Ōhope Beach | 3,000 | 3,600* |
Rangitāiki | 3,800 | 4,800* |
Whakatāne | 4,100 | 5,300* |
*Community Board Chairpersons receive twice the base salary of a Board member.
The Council also agreed to ask the Remuneration Authority to amend the determination for the Whakatāne District to allow District Plan Hearings Committee members to receive some remuneration, in recognition of the considerable workload involved. The suggested remuneration for 2014/15 is $4,700 for the District Plan Hearings Committee Chairperson and $3,760 for each of the three committee members. The additional salary cost involved will be accommodated within the Council’s annual governance budget. A similar provision will apply for 2015/16, by which time the District Plan hearings and deliberation process should be completed.