New Zealand Ministers's pay

kilua SG

New Zealand system proves that astronomical salaries are not necessary to prevent corruption. New Zealand is also ranked 2nd in the least corrupt index

http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2005

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3531601

Prime Minister to get $60,900 pay rise

30.10.2003

6.00pm

Prime Minister Helen Clark's salary will increase $60,900 in an overhaul of politicians' pay announced today.

The boost, effective from November 1, takes Miss Clark's basic salary to $305,000 before tax but her total remuneration package is worth up to $400,000.

The Remuneration Authority sets MPs' remuneration packages in association with the Parliamentary Services Commission. Remuneration was last set two years ago.

Authority chairman Hutton Peacock said Miss Clark had the "toughest job in the country" and an equivalent private sector position would demand a seven-figure salary. However, that would not be acceptable to taxpayers, he said.

"I don't think any western country pays anywhere near what the job would justify if you really looked at the marketplace," Mr Peacock said, adding that United States President George W Bush earned only about US$200,000 ($330,470).

Miss Clark is not the only big winner - her deputy, Finance Minister Michael Cullen, goes from a salary of $180,900 to $218,000, while Cabinet ministers go from $162,600 to $195,000.

"All the executive have had a reasonable rise," Mr Hutton said.

"(But) the Cabinet minister, in many cases, is still paid less than the head of the department who reports to them.

In a pre-emptive strike against likely criticism of the large increases compared with others in the public service, Mr Hutton said it was not fair to compare Miss Clark and her ministers with a nurse or "basic public servant".

"... these are executive positions and they govern the country," he said.

"They're very senior positions and we expect a lot from politicians."

National leader Don Brash's salary as leader of the opposition will increase 20 per cent, from $162,600 to $195,000.

All backbench MPs, whether they have electorates or are list MPs, get a $19,500 salary increase, taking them from $90,500 to $110,000.

Mr Hutton said the previous base salary was "appropriate but a little low". The new rate made them the equivalent of lower to middle managers in the public service.

"We said 'what is a reasonable package?'," he said.

"It is a responsible job. They are governing the country."

Backbenchers' total remuneration package will be $142,700 for those not in the Government Superannuation Fund (GSF), while those in it will have a total package of $146,000. MPs elected before 1992 qualify for the GSF, while those elected post-1992 have a different super scheme.

The increase in total remuneration for backbenchers ranges on average from 4.1 per cent for a constituency member who is in the GSF to 16.2 per cent for a list member not in the GSF. Mr Hutton admitted backbenchers with the largest electorates could be worse off as they lost constituency allowances which averaged $11,200.

Electorate MPs will receive a mileage allowance, for which they will have to provide receipts.

All MPs will have a new basic expense allowance of $12,815, all of which is tax free. That is for genuine expenses such as meals, luggage, raffle tickets and donations.

All the remuneration packages include perks such as overseas travel for MPs and their spouses.

kilua SG

The overhaul follows concern that many tax-free allowances were no more than income by another name.

Authority member Beverley Wakem said many of those allowances had arisen because the base salary was too low.

"But in times of wage freezes in the past, various bits were added that were kind of salary extenders," she said.

"Certainly, when I arrived here (six years ago) my first reaction to it all was it was an absolute dog's breakfast and it was time to clear that up."

The remuneration packages do not cover such things as chauffeured car travel, accommodation entitlements and security system reimbursements.

ACT MP Rodney Hide said MPs' wages should be set before an election and not be changed for the three-year term.

"I do think they should take on board what the public think because they are the customers and they pay for it," he said.

"When Helen Clark promised to boost wages, I had assumed it was the wages of working people, not MPs. I think she'll have a hard time explaining this."

Green MP Rod Donald said the overhaul was good but it had failed to deliver what the public had been demanding on MPs' travel perks.

A spokeswoman for Miss Clark, who is out of the country, said she would not comment on Remuneration Authority matters.

Speaker Jonathan Hunt's spokeswoman said he had no comment.

MP's pay increases at a glance

MPs new basic salaries, effective from November 1, at a glance (previous salary in brackets):

* Prime Minister: $305,000 ($244,100)

* Deputy prime minister: $218,000 ($180,900)

* Ministers: $195,000 ($162,600)

* Speaker of the House: $195,000 ($162,600)

* Leader of the Opposition: $195,000 ($162,600)

* Backbench MPs: $110,000 ($90,500)

How New Zealand politican's pay compares

How New Zealand politicians' basic salaries compare with their overseas counterparts after increases announced today (all figures in $NZ):

Prime minister: New Zealand, $305,100; Australia, $288,956; Canada, $351,426; Britain, $493,567.

Cabinet minister: New Zealand, $195,000; Australia, $191,711; Canada, $260,055; Britain, $359,569.

Leader of the opposition: New Zealand, $195,000; Australia, $205,603; Canada, $260,035; Britain, $342,824.

Backbench MP: New Zealand, $110,000; Australia, $111,136; Canada, $175,713; Britain, $158,576.

Deputy prime minister: New Zealand, $218,000; Australia $227,830.

pierre^^ SG

this jus shows, the smaller ur country, the more pay u get

vito_corleone SG

old yeo chow tong has left politics and returned to his corrupt old ways..actually no difference. Laughing

kaka_22 SG

I wonder whether our ministers salaries will be revise in the up-coming session of parliament. Rolling Eyes

lionnoisy SG

congra ,u get 6 or 7 % if u put money in NZ $ deposit

sorry forget u the housing loan is Flexible Interest Rate ,9.35% p.a.

Gross sovereign-issued debt--huge debts

New Zealands Current Account Deficit:

2.anyone can tell me the govt expenditures of NZ?

3.accept where u stay as a package.dunt expect u can order ice cream
at $1(like in MacDonald) when u hv a dinner in 6 star hotel.
This is not an era where u can expect people will come forward to
serve country with low pay or give up their lifes.

4.people say high ex rate of NZ$ supported by high interest rate.
i dunt know.
But sure u hv to pay very high home loan rate there.

5.mum told us cheap things may not be good.
but good things sure is not cheap.make ur choice and bear
the consquences.

6.u hv 2 make u can migrate any time:Spore passport and good
English.
Put the money(choice )where ur mouth is.
if u found other country,in general ,is better than Sg,jus
pack and go.bye bye,we lose a talent lah.

7.comparsion of official reserve:
2003 NZ$9783m,at rate 0.6466 to US $US$6,325m fo NZ,while
Spore US$127,931 million

pop of NZ is 4 m
while spore is some 4.2m,5 % more.
but official reserve is 2000 % of kiwi's.

u still argue for the peanuts sum salary of the elites?

If u so hv confidences of kiwi,why dunt u gamble
the future of ur kids there?dunt be NATO!!

kilua SG

Originally posted by lionnoisy:
[b]congra ,u get 6 or 7 % if u put money in NZ $ deposit

sorry forget u the housing loan is Flexible Interest Rate ,9.35% p.a.

Gross sovereign-issued debt--huge debts

New Zealands Current Account Deficit:

2.anyone can tell me the govt expenditures of NZ?

3.accept where u stay as a package.dunt expect u can order ice cream
at $1(like in MacDonald) when u hv a dinner in 6 star hotel.
This is not an era where u can expect people will come forward to
serve country with low pay or give up their lifes.

4.people say high ex rate of NZ$ supported by high interest rate.
i dunt know.
But sure u hv to pay very high home loan rate there.

5.mum told us cheap things may not be good.
but good things sure is not cheap.make ur choice and bear
the consquences.

6.u hv 2 make u can migrate any time:Spore passport and good
English.
Put the money(choice )where ur mouth is.
if u found other country,in general ,is better than Sg,jus
pack and go.bye bye,we lose a talent lah.

7.comparsion of official reserve:
2003 NZ$9783m,at rate 0.6466 to US $US$6,325m fo NZ,while
Spore US$127,931 million

pop of NZ is 4 m
while spore is some 4.2m,5 % more.
but official reserve is 2000 % of kiwi's.

u still argue for the peanuts sum salary of the elites?

If u so hv confidences of kiwi,why dunt u gamble
the future of ur kids there?dunt be NATO!![/b]

Are you one of those elite that will never admit a mistake?
you didnt address the issue- high salaries not necessary to prevent corruption. Just admit yes, then we will discuuss the other issues. Razz

By the way the high reserves were built by Ministers of the old guard drawing ordinary salaries. The current government merely inherited the reserves.

http://www.cfoasia.com/archives/200411-05.htm

"Temasek doesn't reveal what benchmarks it uses to rate this performance, but by some yardsticks the results over the past ten years have been poor. Research from CLSA shows that, while Temasek has recorded an annual TSR of 3 percent, Singapore's Straits Times Index produced 3.2 percent and the 50 biggest firms by market capitalization in Asia ex-Japan turned in an annual TSR of 8 percent. In Temasek's defence, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan Index dropped by an annual average of 2.5 percent over the past decade. "

You also might want to consider what the temasek's returns has been last five to ten years Twisted Evil

kilua SG

3.accept where u stay as a package.dunt expect u can order ice cream
at $1(like in MacDonald) when u hv a dinner in 6 star hotel.
This is not an era where u can expect people will come forward to
serve country with low pay or give up their lifes.

I suppose you mean good talented people.

If thats what you mean then you can also say leaders in countries Hong Kong,
,Finland Denmark all have second grade leaders. If that is so, I really worry for Hong Kong people because their government will squander all their reserves.

lionnoisy SG

2.I agree high salaries DO necessary to prevent corruption.be careful those say
serving country and get the peanut pay.End up the country will pay
him more,indirectly!!

3.HK oh HK.Hv u done ur home work.Like a former primerier of
PRC say,HK leaders were ,(and now still are,)
''Only discusson and no conclusions.Only conslusion and no action''

Chief Ex Tsang of HK said''There is no need for HK to position itself''
thats is no aim for HK!!No aim means no future lah.

Pays of HK officials are sky high.Ask HK people then u know
how they feel.

4.Why dunt u say things of sg high official reserve?

5.

One in ten New Zealand citizens lives in Australia, making up the largest concentration of New Zealanders in any overseas country.

Why?U do more home work then u know.
is Kiwi a heaven,for young and retiree?Why there are not enough
jobs at home?

Today, the number of overseas Filipinos is estimated at nearly seven million, spread in 181 countries and destinations worldwide. They now constitute about 10% of our population or nearly 20% of our productive age population2

----1995 data.

Kiwi falls into same situation of Philippines!

Dogtor SG

Managing reserves does not mean you need to get paid the highest salaries in the world for being in political office.

Besides, sum total of reserves (which I think you only place as monetary reserves may not be an accurate reflection).

Land area= NZ 268,680 km² Singapore 699 km²

They got reserves in land, forests, water, ......

Anyway, why does the Gov of Sg keep so much reserves - it should only be enough to back Singapore currency $ for $ as a prudent way of printing money given our lack of physical assets.

Otherwise all this money tied up is unproductive and assumes that the gov of Sg is the best judge of patronage of industries, research, arts, literature etc.

There should be a clearer plan of what constitutes adequate reserves - like enough money to pay for cruise missiles to level a northern city 2 times over, etc.

If ministers really think that SIngapore is important and they really will stick up for it - we should not pay them too much.

MPs regardless of party affiliation should get benefits in lieu of pay such as health care, schooling for their children, etc. At cruch time they will not be able to abandon Singapore cause they got no money to migrate.