2205 days ago

$16K increase takes Hamilton City Council boss' pay to $469K

Rudi from Hamilton Lake

(Hamilton Residents and Ratepayers Association Media Release)

September 30, 2019: Council undertook a review of the Chief Executive. This review concluded that NO pay increase should be awarded to the Chief Executive. (​Source​: HCC Governance)
February 12, 2020: Council approved a $16,000 salary increase for the Chief Executive quoting - "Richard is a highly competent chief executive and is performing at a very high-level on behalf of the city". The increase is Backdated to 1 July 2019. (Source​: Stuff Feb 12 2020)
This $16,000 increase takes the Hamilton City Council Council Chief Executive salary to $469,000 compared with the New Zealand Prime minister's salary of $471,000. Hamilton City has a population of around 170,000 compared while the NZ population is almost 5 million. At current exchange rates the Hamilton CEO salary is more than that of the Prime minister of Canada , who is in charge of over 37m people .
Have Council Elected members considered the impact of this decision have on single pensioners with an annual income of $24,722 (Source: Work and income)​. THEY PAY THE RATES.
In light of the rates rise last year of almost 10%, planned ongoing rates rises almost double that of inflation, and projected debt in the ten year plan of almost three quarters of a Billion dollars, the Residents and Ratepayers Association is seeking community opinion on this decision? ​

Email: hamiltonratepayers@gmail.com

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More messages from your neighbours
3 days ago

🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?

Do you think you know the answer?

Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed? No worries! Simply head here and click once on the Following button.

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13 hours ago

Scam Alert: Bank cold calls

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

ASB is warning customers about reports of cold calls from scammers claiming to be from ASB. These scammers are trying to obtain personal information, including usernames, dates of birth, and verification codes sent to your mobile phone.

🛡️ The "Caller Check" Test
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and you’re unsure, just ask them for a Caller Check. You will then be able to verify the call through the app.

Remember, banks will:​​
❌ Never ask for your banking passwords, PINs, or verification codes​​
❌ Never need to know your full credit card number – especially the CVC
❌ Never ask you to download software or remotely access your device​​
❌ Never ask you to purchase gift cards or transfer funds.

If you have received a phone call and think your account has been compromised, call ASB on 0800 ASB FRAUD (0800 272 372), or visit your local branch.

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4 days ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.

Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.

For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.

Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?

We hope this brings a smile!

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