More than 430 staff employed by Dunedin's tertiary institutions are joining the ranks of the elite - the 5% or so of New Zealand employees earning $100,000 or more annually.
Figures obtained by the Otago Daily Times show 433 staff at the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic were paid annual salaries higher than $100,000 last year, up about 70% on two years ago.
It is not possible to say exactly how many Dunedin tertiary staff were paid more than $100,000 a year in 2005 because the university would not supply salaries for Dunedin College of Education staff. (The college and the university merged at the beginning of last year).
However, people with knowledge of the college's operations said the number was likely to be between five and 10.
The heads of the the two remaining organisations were their highest-paid employees, last year's figures showed.
University of Otago vice-chancellor Prof David Skegg earned between $460,000 and $469,000, while Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker's 2007 salary was between $270,000 and $279,000.
According to the latest Statistics New Zealand household labour force survey, 2.1 million New Zealanders are in full or part-time employment.
But 2006 census income data - the latest information available - showed only 99,105 working New Zealanders, or 4.7%, had earned more than $100,000 in the previous 12 months from all sources including investments, superannuation and wages and salaries.
Salary increases in Otago are keeping pace with the tertiary sector nationally, State Services Commission annual reports show.
Last year, 2640 staff throughout the country were paid $100,000 or more, a 63.9% increase on 2005 when 1654 staff topped that level.
While tertiary salaries might appear high, academic staff in this country are still paid far less than their Australian counterparts.
Two separate reports released earlier this year showed polytechnic lecturers in New Zealand were paid an average of 58.2% of Australian salaries for equivalent positions, while New Zealand university academics were paid an average of 44% of Australian salaries for equivalent positions.
The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), which funds the tertiary sector, provided top-up funding in 2006 and last year to help address pay disparities.
