Judges pocket 9.4pc pay rise

High court judges have set the benchmark for fat pay increases, pocketing an extra $30,000 a year.

The rise will take their salaries to $345,000 - almost seven times the average pay cheque.

Judges also have up to a third of their salary paid into a superannuation scheme and annual expenses of between $4100 and $7900.

In deciding to give High Court judges a 9.4 per cent salary increase, Remuneration Authority chairman David Oughton highlighted the need to attract and retain people with skills and a reputation to match the best in the legal profession.

"Remuneration in the top ranks of the legal profession, from which High Court judges will continue to be drawn, continues to move ahead of judicial remuneration."

Mr Oughton said in his explantory note to the salary determination that the state will never, nor should, match private sector incomes - but had to take them into account.

The New Zealand Law Society has cited pay as one issue affecting the means to attract candidates - who can potentially earn more as barristers - to the bench.

The 130 fulltime district court judges, who were the big winners last year with a $30,000 pay rise, got only half that this year, moving up $15,000 to $260,000.

Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judges will be paid $361,000 (up from $340,000) and $385,000 ($363,000) respectively.

Heading the judicial pay scale is Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias, who is now paid $412,000 - up $24,000 from last year, but still at least $50,000 behind the state sector's highest-paid female bureaucrat, Justice Ministry chief executive Belinda Clark.

Prime Minister Helen Clark is paid $375,000 a year.

Statistics New Zealand said wage and salary earners were paid an average of $49,900 at the end of 2007.

- © Fairfax NZ News