13809 (2026). Camilla Belich to the Minister for Māori Development

13809 (2026). Camilla Belich to the Minister for Māori Development: 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 Tama Potaka: I refer the member to my response to written parliamentary question 10535 (2026) in which I noted that I had jointly approved, with the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, one board fee increase in 2026 for Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust Board in accordance with the relevant Cabinet Office circular "CO (25) 2: Cabinet Fees Framework for members appointed to bodies in which the Crown has an interest". The fees for the Chair and Trustees were increased respectively from $435 per meeting to $25,800 per annum and $226 per meeting to $20,000 per annum. I am advised by Te Puni Kōkiri that the balance of information requested by categorisation, including where fees for entities remain under active consideration, will require a substantial manual collation exercise and divert staff from their core duties. In accordance with Speaker’s Ruling 199/6, I consider that the time, and hence the expense, of answering the balance of this question in the timeframe allowed for written parliamentary questions, is not in the public interest.