17 December 2001 Media Statement
$7 million pay boost for court staff
Government will provide $7 million new funding to bring court staff salaries up to the public sector average, Courts
Minister Matt Robson announced today.
“Court staff carry out a complex role vital to the delivery of justice and the continued peace of our society yet have
been neglected by previous governments, unwilling to invest in their remuneration and training, says Matt Robson.
“A detailed remuneration review carried out over the last 12 months by departmental officials and the Public Service
Association shows that court staff are paid on average 12 percent below the public sector average for comparable jobs.
“The new funding will enable the implementation of a new pay structure based on skill and competence, and boost funding
for training. In practical terms, low paid staff will benefit from a new minimum salary of $25,200, up from $20,000.
“People who perform public service roles are often taken for granted. I would hope that as we enter election year, New
Zealanders will think about the work our public servants do. In order to pay them what they deserve, people like me need
to pay more taxes,” says Matt Robson.
“This pay boost is not a wage round, it allows court staff to catch up to the rest of the public service.
“It also shows the Partnership for Quality agreed between the PSA and the Department for Courts, under which the old
‘them and us’ style industrial relationship was replaced with a co-operative relationship of open discussions around key
issues, is the way forward in the public sector.
“The department will be implementing the new pay levels in the New Year, effective from 1 January 2002,” says Matt
Robson.
ENDS