NZ's highest paid council CEOs revealed: Christchurch chief's salary tops $1m
At the top of the list is Christchurch City Council, which paid out a total of $1,027,696 to CEOs Dawn Baxendale and Mary Richardson.
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NZ Herald
20 hours ago
- NZ Herald
NZ's highest paid council CEOs revealed: Christchurch chief's salary tops $1m
The Taxpayers' Union has released its annual Council Chief Executive 'Rich List', revealing the highest-paid council bosses in New Zealand over the 2023-24 financial year. At the top of the list is Christchurch City Council, which paid out a total of $1,027,696 to CEOs Dawn Baxendale and Mary Richardson.
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Residents in for ‘heck of a shock' over cost of water delivery
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO Dunedin residents are in for a "heck of a shock" when they see the cost of delivering water services, councillors say. At yesterday's Dunedin City Council meeting, councillors voted to adopt a draft water services delivery plan as part of the central government-led infrastructure reform Local Water Done Well. Cr Jim O'Malley said he was pleased the plan included ring-fenced finances so the cost of water services would be set apart from residents' wider rates bills. "It is often the driver of what is causing rates to change and when you're trying to do the right thing with water, you can end up being lambasted for doing the wrong thing with rates." The council could demonstrate Dunedin had one of the lowest — "if not the lowest" — water bills in Otago, he said. Cr Christine Garey said residents were in for a "heck of a shock" when they saw the cost of water services. "We can't say, 'oh, we need the infrastructure', and then say we've got too much debt and we can't afford to do this — we are required to do this," she said. Cr Brent Weatherall said, for too long councils nationwide had borrowed rather than pass on the "true cost" of delivering water services. "Our city's debt has continued to rise at an alarming rate," he said. "Yet, thankfully, it's enabled our water department to take a proactive approach to bringing our water services up to standard for the envy of many of our neighbouring councils." The government's legislation would address the "true cost of supply", he said. In their report to council, Three Waters and transition general manager David Ward and chief financial officer Carolyn Allan said increasing water service-targeted rates by 15% annually for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 years would contribute towards the requirement to fully fund water services. The council was also required to identify a proposed model for the delivery of water services and, in May, voted to back an in-house model. The council signed a memorandum of understanding with the Christchurch City Council in February to consider sharing a "wide range of functions or services", including procurement, infrastructure planning and delivery and monitoring. Mr Ward said communication between the two councils would "gain momentum" once both their water services delivery plans were signed off. Councillors voted 14-1 to adopt the plan, Cr Lee Vandervis voting against.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Scoop
Christopher Luxon Shrugs Off Polls Showing Tight Electoral Race
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has shrugged off two polls showing a tight electoral race, promising to stay the course with the coalition's plan to fix the economy. The Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll on Monday showed Labour overtaking National as the most popular party and no clear path to power for either side. TVNZ's 1News-Verian poll was more forgiving to the coalition parties, returning them to government. But it also saw Luxon sink to just 20 percent as preferred prime minister, a two-year low. On his way into a morning caucus meeting on Tuesday, Luxon told reporters the polls would not be a topic of conversation in the meeting, nor should they be. "No, no, not at all," he said. "I'm not focused on polls or talking about myself. What I'm focused on is New Zealanders and making sure we've got the right long term economic plan in place." Luxon said his MPs continued to be provided internal polling through "a regular process" and discussed them "from time to time" in line with "normal practice". Asked whether he was meeting his own high standards, Luxon said the government was dealing with a challenging international environment. "We've inherited a really difficult recession," he said. "It's a very difficult time, but we are very, very clear minded and very, very focused on fixing the economy." Luxon said global confidence had been knocked by the United States' tariff regime but New Zealand had to "power through that". The faltering economy and cost-of-living crisis featured in both polls as key concerns for voters. Recently, the Auckland Chamber of Commerce has advocated a cut to the corporate tax rate, while the Taxpayers' Union is calling for an emergency mid-year Budget. Luxon previously dismissed such calls, and on Tuesday, he maintained the coalition's current focus on manufacturing and construction was the right approach. "We are doing everything we can. If you think about $6 billion worth of infrastructure projects starting before Christmas, that is a lot of jobs, it's a lot of tradies." He also pointed to relief on the horizon with the Reserve Bank expected to deliver further interest rate cuts this year. What's the alternative? Speaking on Tuesday morning, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the polls demonstrated New Zealanders were losing faith in National's ability to deliver on its promises. He accepted, however, that Labour had more work to do, given neither poll had returned the party to the Beehive. Asked whether the party's support was helped or hindered by Labour's lack of policy, Hipkins said the government "would desperately love more things to attack". "We'll put further policy out there, but my focus right at the moment is holding the government accountable for their promises." Any comprehensive fiscal plan would have to wait till after next year's Budget, he said, but Labour's tax policy would be released this year. Hipkins said a final decision on tax had yet to be resolved but: "consensus is emerging." He repeatedly refused to give any details, including whether the proposal would be revenue neutral or possible parameters. "I've always said that I don't think the family home should be taxed, but I'm not announcing a policy that we haven't announced." National's campaign chairperson Chris Bishop said it was very easy for Labour to insist life should better when they had no policy solutions to offer themselves. "Life's easy when you're able to throw rocks from the side. Actually, we're the ones... in the arena, making the tough decisions across planning, across education, across infrastructure, across red tape, across fiscal policy to get this economy back on track." Bishop said the poll numbers reflected a "tough winter" but stressed that the election was not until next year: "People want the economy to be fixed. And I get that. But there is no silver bullet." He said any talk of replacing Luxon as leader was "just silly". Luxon: Palestine question is "not a race" Luxon declined to say whether the caucus would discuss the question of Palestinian statehood on Tuesday, but acknowledged there would be "nuances and differences" within the team. Foreign Minister Winston Peters on Monday confirmed Cabinet would come to a formal decision in September over whether to recognise a state of Palestine at an upcoming United Nations summit. All three opposition parties have castigated the government for failing to make a decision, pointing out that New Zealand is now out-of-step with its like-minded partners: Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and France. But Luxon said the complex question needed careful consideration. "It's not a race," Luxon said. "It deserves a serious weighing up of our position, and that's exactly what we're going to do." Luxon declined to say whether he would be comfortable with either coalition partner opting to "agree-to-disagree" on the decision. "I'm not going to get into hypotheticals... It's all very easy to jump to a bumper-sticker outcome or decision and not think through the consequences." Pressed on what conditions could be attached, Luxon said he would not presuppose a position but made clear Hamas would have to release hostages and disarm: "There is absolutely no role in any future Palestinian state for a terrorist organization like Hamas."
