Jump in public servants on $100K-plus
HAMISH RUTHERFORD
Last updated 14:13, December 11 2014
Image: Stuff
HEY, BIG EARNERS: There were 7111 public sector employees, excluding tertiary education, earning at least $100,000 a year.
More than 7000 public servants earn more than $100,000 a year, a jump of 11 per cent in 12 months.
The State Services Commission today revealed the number of public servants in salary bands above $100,000, a practice common in publicly listed companies.
The figures show that across the public service and state sector, but excluding all parts of tertiary education, 7111 employees earn more than $100,000 a year, up from 6393 in 2013 and about 5600 in 2012.
A further 5665 employees of publicly owned tertiary education institutions earned more than $100,000.
The figures do not include salaries of chief executives or director-generals of government departments, whose salaries are disclosed separately. It also excludes the numbers from the police and the New Zealand Defence Force which already publish the figures themselves.
While most of the public servants on the list earn between $100,000 and $130,000, close to 2500 earn in excess of $140,000, roughly the salary paid to backbench MPs.
In 2014 the highest-paid public servants, excluding chief executives, were three people earning between $470,000 and $479,999.
In 2013, one public servant earned in excess of $600,000.
The figures were released as the commission also released its report on chief executive salaries. That showed that while a number of top public-sector bosses earned hefty pay rises, the overall bill for chief executive salaries was down on a year ago.
The report showed that in the year to June 30, 2014, total salary and employment costs of chief executives was $11.6 million, down $500,000 on the previous year.
The commission said the figure, the lowest since 2008, reflected "ongoing control" of pay, fewer positions, "a long-standing vacancy" and lower payouts on departure.
"Chief executive remuneration requires a careful balance between ensuring we can attract and retain highly qualified and skilled leaders for New Zealand's public institutions while being prudent and restrained when spending public money," State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie said.
Rennie, who has faced calls to be sacked in recent weeks over his handling of a sexual harassment inquiry, saw his pay packet jump about 9 per cent to $610,000 to $619,999.
The highest-paid chief executive was Adrian Orr, who heads the management of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. He took home more than $800,000, about $130,000 more than a year earlier. Orr's salary fluctuates annually, suggesting a large portion of his pay is determined by the performance of the fund.
Stuart McCutcheon, vice-chancellor of the University of Auckland, earned $660,000 to $669,999, up about $10,000 on 2013.
Gabriel Makhlouf, secretary to the Treasury, was paid $650,000 to $659,999, a rise of $50,000 on a year earlier, while David Smol, chief executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, was paid $620,000 to $629,999.
Roger Sutton, the former chief executive of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, was given a pay increase of about $30,000 to just under $600,000.
- Stuff
