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Remuneration Authority Act 1977

12: Functions of Authority

You could also call this:

"The Authority's jobs include deciding how much money some people get paid and setting rules for this."

Illustration for Remuneration Authority Act 1977

The Authority has some jobs to do. You need to know what these jobs are. The Authority decides how much money some people get paid.

The Authority looks at things like salaries and allowances for members of the House of Representatives, as said in the Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Act 2013. It also looks at pay for some officers, as listed in Schedule 4. The Authority can decide how much money people get and set rules for this.

The Authority also makes decisions about superannuation, which is like a retirement savings plan, for members of the House of Representatives. It decides how much the government will contribute to this plan, as outlined in Part 6 of the Government Superannuation Fund Act 1956. You should be aware that the government's contribution is limited to what the Authority decides.

The Authority can interpret its own decisions and figure out how they apply. It does other jobs that the law gives it. When the Authority decides how much someone gets paid, that's the maximum amount they can get, unless the law says otherwise.

If a member of the House of Representatives chooses to contribute to a retirement scheme, the Authority decides how much the government will contribute to that scheme, as stated in section 47(1)(b) of the Crown Entities Act 2004. The Authority also decides how much the member must contribute to get this government contribution. The government will only pay its part if the member contributes in the same year.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM15697.

Topics:
Government and voting > Government departments
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"The Authority gets help from staff appointed by the Department of Labour."

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12A: Remuneration, or

"Who decides how much money some people get paid and any extra allowances they receive"

12Functions of Authority

  1. The functions of the Authority shall be—

  2. to consider and determine the following matters:
    1. the salaries and allowances of members of the House of Representatives, being the salaries and allowances required to be fixed by the Authority pursuant to the Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Act 2013:
            1. the remuneration of the officers specified in Schedule 4:
              1. remuneration in accordance with section 47(1)(b) of the Crown Entities Act 2004:
                2. to consider and make determinations with respect to the superannuation rights and obligations of the members of the House of Representatives who are contributors under Part 6 of the Government Superannuation Fund Act 1956, being rights fixed at the commencement of this Act by that Part and other provisions of that Act:
                  1. to consider and make determinations with respect to the superannuation rights and obligations of those members of the House of Representatives who are not contributors under Part 6 of the Government Superannuation Fund Act 1956:
                    1. to determine issues about how any provision of a determination is to be interpreted or applied or is to operate:
                      1. to carry out such other functions as may be conferred or imposed on it by this Act or any other enactment.

                        1. In carrying out its functions under subsection (1)(a), the Authority may fix scales of salaries and scales of allowances or ranges of rates of remuneration or alternative forms of remuneration within a remuneration package for any position, and may prescribe rules governing the application of any such scales of salaries or allowances, or ranges of rates of remuneration, or alternative forms of remuneration within a remuneration package fixed by it.

                        2. The Authority shall, in making a determination under subsection (1)(ba), determine—

                        3. the maximum amount that in any year may be paid by way of superannuation subsidy (which amount must be the same for all members but which may be expressed as a specified monetary amount or as a percentage of an ordinary member's salary as the Authority determines) in respect of those members of the House of Representatives who choose to contribute to any retirement scheme; and
                          1. the contribution that the member must make to that retirement scheme in order to be entitled to any of the subsidy referred to in paragraph (a), expressed as a ratio of the subsidy to the member's contribution.

                            1. For the avoidance of doubt, the superannuation subsidy may only be paid in accordance with subsection (2A)(a) if a member makes a contribution in the actual year to which the subsidy relates, and a member may not, in any year, make a lump sum payment of contributions in respect of past years and claim an entitlement to a subsidy in respect of the contributions paid in that year that relates to past years.

                            2. For the avoidance of doubt, it is hereby declared that the Crown's liability to any retirement scheme to which a member referred to in subsection (1)(ba) chooses to contribute shall be limited to payment of such subsidy as may be determined pursuant to subsection (2A).

                            3. Repealed

                            4. Except as provided in this Act, where the remuneration due to any person is fixed under this Act, no amount in excess of the remuneration so fixed for the time being shall be granted to any person on account of that remuneration.

                            Notes
                            • Section 12: replaced, on , by section 4 of the Higher Salaries Commission Amendment Act 1988 (1988 No 24).
                            • Section 12 heading: amended, on , by section 3(2) of the Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament) Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 54).
                            • Section 12(1): amended, on , by section 3(2) of the Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament) Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 54).
                            • Section 12(1)(a)(i): amended, on , by section 60(1) of the Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Act 2013 (2013 No 93).
                            • Section 12(1)(a)(i): amended, on , by section 3(2) of the Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament) Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 54).
                            • Section 12(1)(a)(ii): repealed, on , by section 6 of the Remuneration Authority Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 65).
                            • Section 12(1)(a)(iii): repealed, on , by section 32(1) of the State Sector Amendment Act (No 2) 1989 (1989 No 136).
                            • Section 12(1)(a)(iv): repealed, on , by section 2(1) of the Higher Salaries Commission Amendment Act 1989 (1989 No 35).
                            • Section 12(1)(a)(va): inserted, on , by section 200 of the Crown Entities Act 2004 (2004 No 115).
                            • Section 12(1)(a)(vi): repealed, on , by section 32(1) of the State Sector Amendment Act (No 2) 1989 (1989 No 136).
                            • Section 12(1)(b): replaced, on , by section 2(1) of the Higher Salaries Commission Amendment Act 1992 (1992 No 66).
                            • Section 12(1)(ba): replaced, on , by section 32(1) of the Government Superannuation Fund Amendment Act 1995 (1995 No 28).
                            • Section 12(1)(bb): inserted, on , by section 3(2) of the Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament) Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 54).
                            • Section 12(2): amended, on , by section 3(2) of the Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament) Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 54).
                            • Section 12(2A): inserted, on , by section 2(2) of the Higher Salaries Commission Amendment Act 1992 (1992 No 66).
                            • Section 12(2A): amended, on , by section 3(2) of the Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament) Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 54).
                            • Section 12(2A)(a): amended, on , by section 150 of the Financial Markets (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2013 (2013 No 70).
                            • Section 12(2A)(a): amended, on , by section 3(2) of the Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament) Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 54).
                            • Section 12(2A)(b): amended, on , by section 150 of the Financial Markets (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2013 (2013 No 70).
                            • Section 12(2AB): inserted, on , by section 60(2) of the Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Act 2013 (2013 No 93).
                            • Section 12(2B): inserted, on , by section 2(2) of the Higher Salaries Commission Amendment Act 1992 (1992 No 66).
                            • Section 12(2B): amended, on , by section 150 of the Financial Markets (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2013 (2013 No 70).
                            • Section 12(2C): repealed, on , by section 4 of the Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament Remuneration) Amendment Act 2019 (2019 No 83).