Jenny Rowan’s pay due to rise by $4,500
under Government ruling

Under a Remuneration Authority ruling, the salary of Kāpiti Mayor Jenny Rowan is scheduled to rise soon by $4,500 to just under $100,00 a year.

Remuneration authority chair John Errington said earlier the authority had to consider the economic situation, which was reflected in lower pay rises in recent years. He also said mayors could not refuse a pay rise.

But the increases — announced some time ago by the Authority — are coming in at a time when the KCDC and other councils are trying to cut spending to stop rates ballooning out of control.

Jenny Rowan’s increase — to $99,800 (a 4.7% hike) —  comes with a swathe of other rises for mayors in the region, due to take effect from July 1.

But the Authority said today the ‘pool’ of money for KCDC councillors, and board members, remains the same — so they won’t get a rise.

The mayors of Porirua, and Lower and Upper Hutt will get their pay boosted by between  $4200 and $5400.

And Wellington’s Celia Wade-Brown will get a $2000 rise, taking her pay to $161,600.

Councils do not decide what their Mayor is paid. But they do decide what the deputy Mayor, councillors and community board members are paid from a pool of money calculated by the Remuneration Authority.

Under the Remuneration Authority Act 1977, the Remuneration Authority is responsible for annually considering and determining the remuneration and allowances of MP’s and the Judiciary, as well as members of local authorities and community boards.

Under the Authority’s ruling for the coming year,Horowhenua’s Mayor, Brendan Duffy, receives a rise of nearly $3,500 (4.2%), taking his salary to $86,100.;

The Greater Wellington Regional Council chair, Fran Wilde, gets a 2.8% rise — taking her salary to $161,900.