Queenstown Lakes chief executive Mike Theelen's pay increased to $356k

Tuesday, 17 September 2019

Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Mike Theelen, left, with mayor Jim Boult.

The Queenstown Lakes District council gave chief executive Mike Theelen a 2.4 per cent pay increase during a closed-doors meeting last week.

Theelen, who started with the council in February 2016, would receive a 2019-2020 salary of $356,619 per annum.

Mayor Jim Boult said the figure reflected the challenges faced by the council as New Zealand's premier visitor destination.

Mayor Jim Boult says chief executive Mike Theelan's pay rise reflected the challenges faced by the Queenstown council as a key visitor destination.

'Delivering the services and infrastructure needed for an average day population of 64,000 visitors and residents takes a team that is dedicated to the community and bringing their best every single day.

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'Building a team like that can only happen with the leadership of someone like Mike at the helm,' he said.

In comparison, new Christchurch City Council chief executive Dawn Baxendale is to receive a salary of $495,000.

She is the second highest-paid local authority chief executive in the country after Auckland City Council chief executive Stephen Town who received $677,669 in 2018.

Dunedin City Council recently voted to increase chief executive Sue Bidrose's annual salary to $444,000 – a 14.7 per cent jump.

In 2018, Theelen earned the 23rd highest salary of the 66 district council chief executives in New Zealand, as surveyed by the Ratepayers Report.

The New Zealand Taxpayers Union is expected to release its 2019 report on Wednesday.