Waimakariri's new councillors may get 22% pay bump
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LDR / SUPPLIED
Waimakariri's mayor and councillors are set for pay rises of up to 22 percent after October's election.
Councillor pay rates will jump from $58,110 to $71,026.
Speaking at a council meeting on Tuesday, outgoing Deputy Mayor Neville Atkinson said councillors were "well worth" the increased pay rate.
The mayor's salary is set to rise 4 percent, from $158,057 to $164,728, while the deputy mayor's salary is proposed to jump 22 percent, from $74,674 to $91,271.
The pay jumps are due to an increased remuneration pool.
Atkinson said voting on pay rises is "silly" when it is already set by the Remuneration Authority.
"It is imposed on you and it has always seemed silly to me that we have to vote on this, when it is already imposed on us.
"If you want to give it to charity you can, but if you want to take it, then good on you - you are well worth it."
Atkinson said there was plenty of commentary on social media about what bonuses councillors allegedly claimed.
"It talks about the bonuses which we actually don't get. We don't get flying allowances - we don't want them, and we don't get lunch allowances - we don't want them.
"We want to look after ratepayers' money.
"But this extra money will allow people to make a conscious decision of whether they want a full-time job alongside being a councillor or not."
Retiring councillor Al Blackie said while councillors did not do it for the money, they did have a big workload.
''A little bit more money in the pot can only be a good thing in encouraging young people and particularly young women to stand.''
Councillor Tim Fulton said his only concern was the ''gaps'' in the childcare allowance, which will increase from $6000 a year to $7500 a year per child.
He said it did not take into account the sacrifices a spouse of an elected member might have to make when arranging childcare.
Waimakariri District Council governance manager Sarah Nichols said the childcare allowance could not be used to pay a partner or grandparents.
''It is generally used for an independent person or for childcare facilities.
''We have had a handful of members who have claimed it in the time we've had it, and it has never been for anywhere near the total amount allowed.''
The Hurunui District Council last week voted against offering a childcare allowance, despite the support or four councillors.
There was no opposition expressed by the 10 councillors or Mayor Dan Gordon to the remuneration package presented, which also includes payrises for community board members.
The Remuneration Authority recently completed a review how it determines local government remuneration and well recommended no changes.
It considers population, economic growth and the geographic area of the district when setting the remuneration pool for the deputy mayor councillors' salaries.
Pay rates across the country vary from about $20,000 at the lower end, to more than $300,000 for Auckland mayor.
The payrises for the deputy mayor and remaining nine councillors will be finalised after the local government elections on October 11.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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