13781 (2026). Camilla Belich to the Minister of Corrections

13781 (2026). Camilla Belich to the Minister of Corrections: What fee increases have been proposed or approved since 27 November 2023 for any chair, deputy chair, member, presiding member, or other appointed role on any Crown entity board, committee, authority, tribunal, or other statutory body within their ministerial portfolio, broken down by (a) the name of the entity and the specific role; (b) the fee (annual, daily, or per-meeting rate as applicable) immediately prior to the increase and the date that fee was last set; (c) the new approved fee and the effective date of the increase; (d) the percentage increase; (e) whether the increase was approved by them as the responsible minister or referred to the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee, and if the latter, the date of that approval; (f) whether the increase was made pursuant to the Cabinet Fees Framework changes of July 2025 or on another basis; (g) the primary justification recorded for the increase; (h) whether the proposed increase was approved, declined, or scaled back, and if declined or scaled back, the reasons recorded for that decision; (i) whether any part of the increase was applied backdated and if so to what date; (j) the total annual cost to the Crown of all increases approved within their portfolio; and (k) whether each review was initiated by them as the responsible minister, the entity itself, or the Public Service Commission?

Hon Mark Mitchell: Since 27 November 2023, two fee adjustments have occurred which relate to any chair, deputy chair, member, presiding member, or other appointed role on any Crown entity board, committee, authority, tribunal, or other statutory body within my Corrections portfolio. December 2024 fee adjustment In December 2024, a 10 per cent fee increase was applied to the daily fees for members and chairs of the Community Impact Forum (CIF), Tangata Whenua Committee (TWC), and Social Impact Fund Allocation Committee (SIFAC). This adjustment was made in line with changes to the Cabinet Fees Framework approved on 6 October 2022 under the previous government (Cabinet Office Circular CO (22) 2). I am advised that Corrections initiated this adjustment engaging directly with the Cabinet Office in August 2024, and the Public Service Commission Fees Team, who advised that the 10 per cent increase could be applied in line with the Cabinet‑approved framework. The increase was backdated to 6 October 2022, consistent with the effective date of the Cabinet decision, with payments processed in December 2024. I am advised that only a limited number of members were eligible for back payments. The fee rates prior to 6 October 2022 were: • CIF and TWC chairs: $600 per day • CIF and TWC members: $325 per day • SIFAC chair: $800 per day • SIFAC members: $450 per day This adjustment was intended to align longstanding fees with Cabinet‑approved settings under the Fees Framework. Those fees had not been considered since 2012. December 2025 fee adjustment In December 2025, I approved increases to four bodies/groups within my Corrections portfolio, being the New Zealand Parole Board, Community Impact Forum, Tangata Whenua Committee, and Social Impact Fund Allocation Committee. These increases were initiated by Corrections in line with the revised fees framework (Cabinet Office Circular CO (25) 2). I agreed to the changes in December 2025 as responsible Minister, as I considered it would ensure that fee rates align with market rates, strengthening the ability of agencies to attract and retain skilled governance and talent. The Public Service Commission were consulted on fee reviews to ensure relevant criteria had been applied. At the time of making my decision, Corrections sought approval to backdate the payments to either 1 July 2025, 1 November 2025 or 1 January 2026. I made the decision that 1 January 2026 was most appropriate for fiscal reasons. The increases by percentage and amount in my December 2025 decision were as follows: • New Zealand Parole Board – increase of 5.5% resulting in: o Convenors: a daily increase of +$52, taking the amount paid from $948 to $1,000. o Members: a daily increase of +$34, taking the amount paid from $616 to $650. • Members of CIF and TWC – increase of 16.3 percent being $58 per day • Members of SIFAC – increase of 17.2 percent being $85 per day In response to Part J of the Member’s question, I am advised that identifying the specific costs associated with the increases requested would require significant manual collation and research. I am not prepared to ask officials to undertake this work for the purposes of responding to this question, particularly given the length and level of detail already involved in responding to the question. I am assured that board fees are, and will continue to be, paid in line with guidance taken from the Cabinet Fees Framework.