Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel receives a salary of $193,099, up 1.5 per cent from a year ago.

The role of Christchurch mayor now commands a salary of close to $200,000.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel received a 1.5 per cent pay increase on July 1, taking her salary from $190,245 to $193,099 this financial year.

She is the second highest paid mayor in New Zealand, behind Auckland's Phil Goff, who was paid $279,562, up 2 per cent on the previous year.

GEORGE HEARD/FAIRFAX NZ Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton has received a 7 per cent pay increase lifting his salary from $114,613 to $122,795.

Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton received a 7 per cent increase lifting his salary from $114,613 to $122,795. Waimakariri Mayor David Ayers received a 4 per cent increase lifting his pay from $118,257 to $123,068.

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Environment Canterbury chairman Steve Lowndes received a 4.8 per cent increase, from $162,135 to $170,016.

JOSEPH JOHNSON/STUFF Environment Canterbury chairman Steve Lowndes received a 4.8 per cent pay increase and now receives $170,016, up from $162,135

The Remuneration Authority sets the pay annually for key office holders, including local government representatives, members of Parliament and judges. Those office holders have no choice but to accept the authority's decision.

The local government salary decisions were made based on population, the council's total operating expenditure and assets.

Dalziel has historically been critical of local government pay rates and last week said the mayoral salaries were way too high.

KIRK HARGREAVES/STUFF Waimakariri District Mayor David Ayers received a 4 per cent pay increase lifting his salary from $118,257 to $123,068.

"We don't have any power."

She said she had no idea what her pay increase was, but she made a lot of donations to charity and suspected they would be significantly more than the increase.

"I gave $1000 to Kurashiki and that is just one of many. I have got many charities that I support and a lot of arts foundations as well."

The Christchurch City Council set up a Give a Little page to raise money for its sister city Kurashiki, Japan, which was severely impacted by flooding on July 11.

Many other mayors across the country also have full use of a mayoral car, but Dalziel opts to use her own personal car.

Christchurch deputy mayor Andrew Turner and councillors did not get a pay increase this year and remain on $118,220 and $102,400 respectively.

The authority has introduced a new local government pay scale, but said there were a few issues that needed to be addressed, including the closeness in pay of Auckland's councillors and Christchurch councillors.

"This needs to be resolved but will take more than one year to do so," the authority said in an information paper on local government salaries.

Auckland councillors receive a salary of $109,750.

In making its local government salary decisions, the authority said it would be inappropriate for any local government elected member to earn more than a cabinet minister. Cabinet ministers with portfolios get paid $296,007, ministers without portfolios $217,676. Backbench MPs were paid $163,961 annually.