Remuneration data

How pay is determined

There are two main ways pay is determined at Council. 

Wage rate levels

Most positions covered by the Collective Agreement with AWUNZ and the Workers First Union are paid using wage rate levels. These levels are negotiated between Hamilton City Council and the unions and are set out in the current AWUNZ and FIRST Union Multi-Union Collective Agreement.

Grades

Most positions at Council have a formal grade. To receive a grade, a position must go through a job evaluation process. Each grade has an associated pay range, which supports consistency and fairness across roles of a similar size. 

Job evaluation and grades

Council uses methodology from Strategic Pay to evaluate positions. Strategic Pay is a New Zealand company that specialises in remuneration across both the public and private sectors. 

Positions are evaluated and sized to determine the appropriate pay range and to ensure fairness and consistency with roles of a similar size across the organisation. The job evaluation methodology measures factors such as Education, Experience, Complexity, Scope, Problem Solving, Freedom to Act, Impact of Decisions, Interpersonal Skills, Authorities and People Management. 

When job evaluations happen

A job evaluation is completed when a new position is created, significant changes are made to an existing position, or a role has changed naturally over time and requires re‑evaluation. 

Job evaluations are carried out by trained members of the People, Safety and Wellbeing Unit or by Strategic Pay. Any changes to grades or pay ranges are signed off by the relevant group General Manager.

The table below shows the number and percentage of our staff on each grade, and the pay range for each grade, as 10 March 2026.

Grade	Number of employees	Percentage of employees (%)	Pay range ($)
No official grade	217	13.83%
7	56	3.57%	$60,216 - $67,851.6
8	36	2.29%	$60,216 - $72,693.6
9	106	6.76%	$60,216 - $77,755.2
10	160	10.20%	$60,216 - $83,258.4
11	100	6.37%	$60,216 - $88,981.2
12	54	3.44%	$67,753.5 - $95,652
13	122	7.78%	$72,512.65 - $102,370.8
14	68	4.33%	$78,223.8 - $110,433.6
15	121	7.71%	$83,665.5 - $118,116
16	106	6.76%	$90,059.2 - $127,142.4
17	80	5.10%	$96,865.15 - $136,750.8
18	108	6.88%	$103,493.45 - $146,108.4
19	63	4.02%	$110,611.35- $156,157.2
20	69	4.40%	$118,376.1 - $167,119.2
21	32	2.04%	$127,658.1 - $180,223.2
22	22	1.40%	$139,008.15 - $196,246.8
23	20	1.27%	$151,438.55 - $213,795.6
24	3	0.19%	$164,679 - $232,488
25	14	0.89%	$178,190.6 - $251,563.2
26	2	0.13%	$192,577.7 - $271,874.4
27	1	0.06%	$206,129.25 - $291,006
28	1	0.06%	$219,680.8 - $310,137.6
29	1	0.06%	$233,796.75 - $330,066
30	3	0.19%	$251,495.45 - $355,052.4
31	3	0.19%	$271,862.3 - $383,805.6
37	1	0.06%

 

Gender pay gap ​

The gender pay gap shows the difference between what women and men are paid on average across the organisation.  

As at February 2026, excluding the Chief Executive: 

• The average gender pay gap is 4.23%, meaning the average pay for women is 4.23% lower than the average pay for men across Council.
• The median gender pay gap is 1.52%, meaning the median pay for women is 1.52% lower than the median pay for men. 

The average reflects overall pay differences across all employees and can be influenced by the distribution of genders across higher and lower paid roles. 

The median reflects the difference at the midpoint of the pay distribution and is less affected by pay extremes. 

We measure both average and median as New Zealand does not have a standardised approach to reporting on gender pay gaps. Using the two measures provides a fuller picture and allows for benchmarking across different organisations.