The incomes of Dunedin's highest-paid state sector employees have been laid bare once again, with two earning more than $500,000 a year.
Adrian Orr, the man responsible for the New Zealand Super Fund, is the highest-paid public sector boss, earning more than $830,000 over the last year.
Details of who got paid what in the year to June 30 and who got pay rises were published yesterday in the annual the State Services Commission pay report.
Top of that list in Dunedin was University of Otago vice-chancellor Prof Harlene Hayne, whose total remuneration band increased by $20,000, for the second year running, to $560,000-$569,999.
Southern District Health Board chief executive Carole Heatly was the other Dunedin-based chief executive to make the $500,000 club, with her remuneration band remaining the same as the previous year at $500,000-$509,999.
Her income freeze comes after the cash-strapped DHB came in for heavy criticism last year when it was revealed her pay package increased to between $500,000 and $510,000 in 2013-14 from $430,000-$440,000 in the previous year.
Prof Hayne's pay rise comes as the university faces a challenging financial situation due to falling student numbers, with cuts to general staff being mooted.
When asked whether the pay rise was justified given the university's financial situation, a university spokeswoman said her income was ''independently set and approved by the State Services Commissioner''.
''The remuneration is justifiable as it is comparable to similar roles in New Zealand,'' she said.
Prof Hayne is the second highest-paid vice-chancellor in New Zealand, after University of Auckland vice-chancellor Prof Stuart McCutcheon, whose total remuneration band increased by $20,000 to $680,000-$689,999.
Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker's remuneration band increased $10,000 to $350,000-$359,000.
Southern Institute of Technology chief executive Penny Simmonds received the largest pay rise of chief executives in the South, with her remuneration band increasing $40,000 to $310,000-$319,999.
The plus $600k club
Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation CEO Adrian Orr: $830,000-$839,999
Accident Compensation Corporation CEO Scott Pickering: $760,000-$769,999
Commissioner of Police Mike Bush: $680,000-$689,999
University of Auckland vice-chancellor Prof Stuart McCutcheon: $680,000-$689,999
NZ Transport Agency CEO Geoff Dangerfield: $660,000-$669,999
State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie: $650,000-$659,999
Auckland District Health Board CEO Ailsa Claire: $640,000-$649,000
Chief of Defence Force Tim Keating: $630,000-$639,999
Ministry of Education CEO Peter Hughes: $620,000-$629,999
Treasury CEO Gabriel Makhlouf: $610,000-$619,999
Solicitor-general Michael Heron: $600,000-$609,999
