Hutt City Council vacancy to remain until October elections

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Published: 7 June 2022

Hutt City Councillors voted at their Council meeting today to leave a vacant Councillor position unfilled for the remainder of the current triennium.  A new Council will be elected at the local body elections on 8 October 2022.

The vacancy was created by the resignation of Shazly Rasheed on May 27.

Many of former Cr Rasheed’s responsibilities will be fulfilled by other elected members as set out below:

  • Councillor Andy Mitchell will become the Deputy Chair of the Komiti Kaupapa Taio/Climate Change and Sustainability Committee,
  • Councillor Keri Brown will become the Deputy Chair of the Komiti Tuku Raihana ā-Rohe/District Licensing Committee)
  • Deputy Mayor Tui Lewis will become Council’s representative on the Epuni Care and Protection Residence.

In the event of an extraordinary vacancy (and where the vacancy is not filled), the Remuneration Authority mandates the vacant salary is distributed among remaining councillors.  There is no ability to decline this redistribution, however most councillors have committed to donating any remuneration increase to charity/community organisations.

Full details of the Council resolution on this matter are available in minute (No. C22302), as shown below:

RESOLVED:                 (Mayor Barry/Cr Shaw)                             Minute No. C 22302
“That Council:
(1)     receives and notes the report;

(2)     notes that an extraordinary vacancy on Hutt City Council has been created pursuant to clause 5 Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002 following the resignation of a city wide councillor Shazly Rasheed effective from 27 May 2022;

(3)     acknowledges the work of Shazly Rasheed in the fulfilment of her role as city wide councillor on Hutt City Council during the 2019-2022 term;

(4)     in accordance with s117(3) of the Local Electoral Act 2001, agrees the extraordinary vacancy be left unfilled for the remainder of the 2019-2022 triennium;

(5)     agrees the following elected members who will fill former Cr Rasheed’s responsibilities for the remainder of the 2019-2022 triennium:

(a)   Councillor Mitchell as deputy chair of the Komiti Kaupapa Taio | Climate Change and Sustainability Committee;
(b)   Councillor Brown as deputy chair of the Komiti Tuku Raihana ā-Rohe | District Licensing Committee; and
(c)   Deputy Mayor Lewis as its representative on Epuni Care and Protection Residence; and

(6)     approves the distribution of the remuneration pool of $827,228 for submission to the Remuneration Authority as follows:

Position

Current Annual Remuneration

$

Proposed Annual Remuneration

$

Councillor base salary

54,540

59,702

Deputy Mayor/Chair of Standing Committee x 1 base salary plus additional responsibilities

101,524

106,110

Chair of Standing Committee x 3 base salary plus additional responsibilities

$81,324

86,506

Deputy Chair of Standing Committee x 3 base salary plus additional responsibilities

64,547

69,709

Chair of Traffic Subcommittee x 1 base salary plus additional responsibilities

68,195

73,367

(7)     notes that Council is required to redistribute the remuneration from former Cr Rasheed amongst the base salary rate for councillors, and it is each individual’s decision in what they choose to do with this;

(8)     notes that Deputy Mayor Lewis and Councillors Briggs, Shaw, Dyer, Brown, Barratt, Edwards, Hislop and Mitchell have agreed to donate the additional salary to charity;

(9)     notes that the decision of Council will be publicly notified in accordance with the requirements of the Local Electoral Act 2001.”