Head of merged council agency to earn $506,000

Thursday, 5 November 2020

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff speaks to media on the release of a report into the effectiveness of Auckland Council's Council-Controlled Agency structure.

The head of Auckland Council’s merged economic and culture agency will be paid $506,000.

Nick Hill is the chief executive of Auckland Unlimited, formed by merging the agency he previously headed, Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED) with Regional Facilities Auckland.

Stuff understands the salary to head the combined unit is $41,000 more than Hill was paid in his last full year at ATEED.

The pay is one of the lower chief executive salaries in the Auckland Council “family” although two subsidiaries, Watercare and Panuku Development, are currently run by acting CEOs.

* Coronavirus: Auckland Council top brass cut own pay by up 20 per cent

* Panuku CEO Roger MacDonald resigns after mysterious leave

Nick Hill, CEO of Auckland Council's new economic and culture agency Auckland Unlimited.

The highest paid chief executive in the council group is currently Auckland Transport’s Shane Ellison, whose salary is declared in a range between $600-619,000.

Next is the newly appointed CEO of the council itself, Jim Stabback, who starts on $600,000 compared with the $698,000 earned by his predecessor Stephen Town.

Panuku is led by acting chief executive David Rankin, who has filled in since the unexplained departure in November 2019 of CEO Roger MacDonald.

Rankin is understood to be on considerably less than MacDonald’s salary range of $640-650,000 according to the 2019 annual report.

Watercare is in the hands of acting CEO Marlon Bridge, previously the chief operating officer until the departure of Raveen Jaduram at the end of October. Jaduram was earning between $810-820,000.

Temporary, voluntary salary cuts of 20 per cent at CEO level and 10 per cent at executive level across the council ended in October after six months in recognition of the financial impact of Covd-19.

The review of the council-controlled organisations (CCOs) that recommended the merger of ATEED and RFA, also recommended the council start having a role in setting salary levels of CCO chiefs.

“The council needs to have some say about chief executives’ pay ,as well as their appointment and tenure,” said the reviewers’ report.

“CCOs are, after all, public sector entities, not private commercial companies, and their chief executives’ remuneration must reflect this fact.”