Western Bay councillors top national pay rise table with 57% jump

Western Bay of Plenty District councillors have recorded the largest average salary increase of any council in Aotearoa New Zealand, rising nearly 57% in a single year. The average councillor salary climbed from $51,525 to $80,822 in 2025/26, according to the Taxpayers' Union Council Pay Rise Dashboard — far ahead of the national average increase of 9.81% and Queenstown Lakes District, which came in second at 33.13%.

The increase stems largely from the district's representation review, which reduced the number of councillors from eleven to nine while the Remuneration Authority simultaneously raised the governance remuneration pool from $566,779 to $727,395. The authority, which independently sets pay for elected members, allocates a pool that councils must fully distribute among their members.

The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union described the rise as "so far out of touch", with head of policy James Ross noting it was roughly 22 times the rate of inflation. He called for ratepayers to have direct input into councillor salaries. Mayor James Denyer acknowledged community cost-of-living pressures but stressed the allocations were set through a legislated process designed to attract and retain people for governance roles carrying significant accountability. The mayor's own salary was set separately by the authority at $164,382, an 8.82% increase.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).