Acting Prime Minister Bill English admitted on Thursday it was “a bit embarrassing” to be given a pay rise of more than NZ$12,000 a year when workers were being hit by redundancies.
MPs have been given pay rises of between 3.8 per cent and 4.8 per cent, backdated to July this year.
The increases, determined by the independent Remuneration Authority and gazetted today, push up Prime Minister John Key’s salary to NZ$393,000 from NZ$375,000.
English, his deputy, gets a salary of NZ$276,700, up from NZ$264,500.
“Yes, that’s a bit embarrasing,” English said when he was asked about the pay rise on TV One’s CloseUp programme.
“I think it reflects a time when public service salaries were going up pretty fast.
“I can assure you over the next couple of years MPs won’t be getting those kinds of pay rises, not many people will.”
English said he thought individual MPs could say “no” to their pay rises.
Asked whether he was going to say “no” English replied: “Now that’s a good question. I honestly haven’t considered, I don’t know what the rise is, I’ve just heard there’s been an announcement.”
Under the determination Cabinet ministers’ salaries increase to NZ$243,700 from NZ$233,000 and ministers outside cabinet will be paid NZ$204,300, up from NZ$195,700.
The Leader of the Opposition, Labour’s Phil Goff, will be paid NZ$243,700, the same as a cabinet minister.
Goff was asked about the pay rises when he held a press conference to announce Labour’s new shadow cabinet.
He said he had been in Parliament a long time and had never made a submission to the Remuneration Authority.
“I don’t believe it’s my role as a parliamentarian to be involved in that process.”
The basic salary for backbench MPs has increased to NZ$131,000 from NZ$126,000 although many of them get more than that because they hold a variety of positions like select committee chairs or deputy chairs.
All MPs get a range of expenses and allowances. Ministers who are not resident in Wellington get free houses, and those who live in the capital get a housing allowance.
NZPA