Average salaries for average MPs

NZ Herald:

The Remuneration Authority this morning gave MPs an increase of 1.5 percent, as well as a $5,000 payment to compensate for the international travel allowance which was scrapped in January.

The changes will see the next Prime Minister's salary rise from $400,500 to $411,510, while his deputy will get $291,800, up from $282,500.

The Leader of the Opposition and the Speaker will both get $257,200, up from $249,100.

Backbenchers will receive $141,800, up from $134,800.

The top tier are creaming it and the average backbencher sitting in the six figures. Undeserved. And the rest of the perks mean they are anything but mean, it's a sweet wicket.

For a comparison getting net average full-time wage data is harder than it seems even though this is how the level of NZ Superannuation is determined (at 66% of this rate). Here it says $49,875.00


Hone reckons:

MANA leader Hone Harawira says news that MP's have been awarded a 5% pay increase including a $5000 Christmas bonus has left him feeling sick in the stomach.

Harawira says to see backbenchers getting an extra $7000 a year and the Prime Minister $11,000 must just leave those struggling totally despondent.

“I think of the thousands of people living in Te Tai Tokerau who struggle to pay their power bill, who can’t give their children a decent meal and who have no hope of saving for a deposit for a home.

“To accept this pay rise at a time when the poor of New Zealand are in financial strife as a result of the government's ‘take from the poor for the rich’ policies is a real kick in the guts for those who are struggling”.

"I will be donating my increase to one of the many voluntary organizations in my electorate of Te Tai Tokerau trying to help the poor the government has deserted and I call on all politicians to make a similar gesture”.

Well I hope the other Mana MPs are prepared to walk the talk. What about limiting an MPs salary to a maximum of twice the average wage? That would put a backbencher on just under $100k a year - still vastly over-paid for what most of them do. The balance should be donated, preferably to the party! They wouldn't have the job in the first place without the support of the party. Let's see them return some of it. There's only so many sausage sizzles the branches can have.