Councillor remuneration is set by the
Remuneration Authority and is not based on population size alone. The Authority
also considers factors such as geographical area, dispersed rural communities,
travel times, the number of community boards, infrastructure complexity, and
iwi engagement responsibilities. On this basis, Whangārei District Council is
viewed as more urbanised and geographically concentrated around Whangārei city,
with a comparatively simpler governance structure.
In the Far North, the Deputy Mayor receives
$160,007 per year (compared with $104,000 in Whangārei), while the four
committee chairs receive $110,005 each (compared with $85,000). Other
councillors receive $85,700 (compared with $65,000). The mayors’ salaries are
almost identical at around $181,000.
By comparison, the average annual income of a
full-time worker in the Far North is estimated to be around $60,000, and around
$70,000 in Whangārei.