Waipa District Council meeting
Waipā District Council staff have recommended closing the remuneration gap between committee chairs and their deputies.
Jo Gread
The council met on Friday to decide how the $709,576 set by the external Remuneration Authority on October 12 would be split between the 11 councillors, including the deputy mayor, based on the roles they have on the council.
Mayor Mike Pettit’s salary was set by the authority at $162,399.
Governance manager Jo Gread recommended reducing the ratio gap between chairs and deputy chairs.
Her schedule of payments recommended paying councillors who hold no additional roles $57,925 a year, more than the $50,684 minimum recommended by the Remuneration Authority.
Jo Davies-Colley
She recommended deputy mayor Jo Davies-Colley receive $86,887.
“It recognises the significant workload of the deputy mayor, and the support that they provide to the mayor and the fact that role is district wide,” Gread said.
Maungatautari ward councillor Mike Montgomerie will chair the strategic planning and policy committee, serve as deputy chair of the finance and corporate committee and receive $69,509 under the recommendation.
Davies-Colley will serve as Montgomerie’s deputy on the strategic planning and policy committee.
Roger Gordon
Pettit will chair the finance and corporate committee, with Montgomerie as his deputy, and the chief executive performance management committee.
Pirongia and Kakepuku ward councillor Clare St Pierre will chair the service delivery committee and is recommended to be paid $63,717, with Cambridge ward councillor Aidhean Camson as her deputy. She will also chair the Pirongia and Kakepuku ward committee.
Te Awamutu and Kihikihi ward councillor Marcus Gower will chair the regulatory committee and is recommended to be paid $63,717.
Dale-Maree Morgan
Waipā Māori ward councillor Dale-Maree Morgan will be his deputy and under the recommendations would be paid $66,613 in part recognition of her iwi portfolio. Morgan will also chair the Maungatautari Reserve Committee.
Cambridge ward councillor Roger Gordon will serve as deputy chair of the risk and assurance committee and would be paid $60,821. The committee is chaired by an independent, Carol Bellette, who is member of the Institute of Directors.
Morgan offered to support councillors in any engagement with iwi during the triennium.
Mike Pettit
“I would appreciate it if you gave me a call, and if I am free, I will support you in that space,” Morgan said.
Pettit said the recommendation to the Remuneration Authority had been put forward to flatten the structure out.
“There’s probably no more pertinent time than the coming three years with the avalanche of legislation and frankly the workload that is going to come,” he said.
“Chairing and deputy chairing committees, there’s a lot more flattening of that, but ultimately it is one part of a massive job that we all have as councillors.
Mike Montgomerie
“The differentiation last time was about $19,500 between those who had, in theory, no responsibilities, to those who had more responsibilities and the difference this time is $11,600 at the most.
“We are in this waka together,” he said.
Montgomerie said he led a charge to narrow the remuneration gap in the last triennium and had been unsuccessful.
Waipā District Council meeting.
