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What fee increases have been proposed or approved since 27 November 2023 for any chair, deputy chair, member, presiding member, or other appointed role on any Crown entity board, committee, authority, tribunal, or other statutory body within their ministerial portfolio, broken down by (a) the name of the entity and the specific role; (b) the fee (annual, daily, or per-meeting rate as applicable) immediately prior to the increase and the date that fee was last set; (c) the new approved fee and the effective date of the increase; (d) the percentage increase; (e) whether the increase was approved by them as the responsible minister or referred to the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee, and if the latter, the date of that approval; (f) whether the increase was made pursuant to the Cabinet Fees Framework changes of July 2025 or on another basis; (g) the primary justification recorded for the increase; (h) whether the proposed increase was approved, declined, or scaled back, and if declined or scaled back, the reasons recorded for that decision; (i) whether any part of the increase was applied backdated and if so to what date; (j) the total annual cost to the Crown of all increases approved within their portfolio; and (k) whether each review was initiated by them as the responsible minister, the entity itself, or the Public Service Commission?

Answered Question 13778 (2026)
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Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

Question

  • What fee increases have been proposed or approved since 27 November 2023 for any chair, deputy chair, member, presiding member, or other appointed role on any Crown entity board, committee, authority, tribunal, or other statutory body within their ministerial portfolio, broken down by (a) the name of the entity and the specific role; (b) the fee (annual, daily, or per-meeting rate as applicable) immediately prior to the increase and the date that fee was last set; (c) the new approved fee and the effective date of the increase; (d) the percentage increase; (e) whether the increase was approved by them as the responsible minister or referred to the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee, and if the latter, the date of that approval; (f) whether the increase was made pursuant to the Cabinet Fees Framework changes of July 2025 or on another basis; (g) the primary justification recorded for the increase; (h) whether the proposed increase was approved, declined, or scaled back, and if declined or scaled back, the reasons recorded for that decision; (i) whether any part of the increase was applied backdated and if so to what date; (j) the total annual cost to the Crown of all increases approved within their portfolio; and (k) whether each review was initiated by them as the responsible minister, the entity itself, or the Public Service Commission?

Answered by

Hon Simon Watts

Member for North Shore · National Party · Minister of Climate Change

Answer

I have interpreted your question as seeking information, as set out in parts (a) to (k), on fee increases proposed or approved for statutory groups. Since 27 November 2023, I have considered a proposed fee increase for the Nominating Committee for the Climate Change Commission, including the Chair and members. The fee review was proposed by Ministry for the Environment officials as part of the appointment process under way at the time, and I agreed to its commencement. The assessment presented options that would have resulted in fee increases of approximately 54 per cent, 20 per cent, or 10 per cent, or no increase. I decided not to approve any fee increase. Accordingly, no referral was made to the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee and there has been no additional cost to the Crown. The Nominating Committee fees are expressed at a daily rate of $575 for the Chair and $395 for members. These fees were set when the Nominating Committee was established in 2019. Fees for members of the Climate Change Commission are set by the Remuneration Authority. I do not hold information relating to the Authority’s processes and approvals.