The average public service salary now exceeds NZD100,000. By comparison, the average private sector salary is about NZD80,000. But it’s the salaries at the top of the public service pyramid that are truly remarkable.
The mentality behind New Zealand’s mental approach to its public service is the inappropriate application of corporate principles, including levels of remuneration and nomenclature, to public servants. New Zealand’s discredited Solicitor-General Una Jagose is paid over NZD800,000 p.a. (not including lavish perks) and is described on Crown Law’s website as its “Chief Executive”. The public service talks as if it’s running profit-driven businesses, whereas it’s mainly just blowing the tax take.
