The Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance has today launched the Wellington City Council Rich List, exposing 35 Council figures paid more than $200,000, including 34 Council staff paid more than Mayor Andrew Little.

The Rich List, available at WellingtonRichList.nz, shows Town Clerk Matt Prosser is paid $531,616, while five Chief Officers are listed at salary-band midpoints of $440,000. Mayor Andrew Little is paid $201,947 and sits dead last.

Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesman James Ross said:

“At the same time households are being hammered with a 47 percent rates increase over the last three years, and face another hike this year, Wellingtonians might be surprised to learn there are 34 Council staff paid more than the person they elected to lead the city.”

“These 35 officials alone are costing ratepayers around $9.3 million a year. That is the equivalent of the entire annual rates bill of roughly 1,800 average Wellington households, just to cover this slice of the Council payroll.”

“Wellington has the second-highest average residential rates in the country, the highest commercial rates, and ratepayers are being asked to cough up even more. Yet somehow there is always room in the budget for a bigger, richer bureaucracy.”

“No one is saying councils do not need capable staff. But when officials are being paid more than Ministers of the Crown, more than the Mayor, and in one case more than the Prime Minister, ratepayers deserve to know who they are, what they are being paid, and whether they are getting value for money.”

“Wellingtonians can now see the list for themselves at WellingtonRichList.nz. The question for councillors is simple: are ratepayers getting results that match the payroll?”