Remuneration Discussions Around Council Table

Invercargill city councillors will receive an extra $5702 more than during the last triennium but the Mayor’s salary remains the same at $165,687.

At its second meeting under the new council structure, it was decided councillors will now receive $54,347, with chairs of committees $70,651.

Councillors voted 9-3 for mana whenua representatives (who are not elected by the community) to receive $49,275 - a whole $5000 less than councillors, but $11,000 more than last term.

The Remuneration Authority increased its pool by $165,657 from 2022, and the council had until Friday to confirm its proposals.

Manager - governance and legal Michael Morris told the meeting the authority can reject proposals by councils, and noted that had happened to some around the country.

The Mayor’s remuneration is not taken from the pool but continues to set by the authority.

New councillor Andrea de Vries questioned why they weren’t acknowledging other independent representatives that held roles on certain committees.

“Mana whenua are not the only group. Why have they not been considered?”

Michael said mana whenua representatives were unique in their role and acted with dignity and status around the council table.

He said independent members of committees did not have the same status, and would be dealt with at a separate meeting of their own.

In 2022 council adopted the then base remuneration of $38,642 for the 2022-2025 term for the mana whenua representatives, with the 2025-2028 amount increasing by $11,000.

Cr de Vries then questioned why mana whenua weren’t being paid the same as councillors, and Cr Darren Ludlow reminded the meeting that they had different roles - mana whenua only have voting rights on committees but not at council level.