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An artist’s impression of downtown Ormiston that Panuku has been working with Todd Property Group to develop. SUPPLIED
The annual report from Panuku, the Auckland Council’s development agency, shows that 100 of its 214 full-time employees earned more than $ 100,000 in 2019/2020, up from 78 the previous year.
Total staffing costs increased 23 percent from $ 23.7 million in 2019 to $ 29.1 million in 2020, while executive leadership team earnings increased from $ 3.3 million to $ 3.5 million in the 12 months to June 30. .
Panuku manages around $ 3 billion worth of land and buildings owned by Auckland City Council and is also involved in several major urban regeneration projects in the region, including those in Manukau, Old Papatoetoe, Avondale, Hobsonville, Meadowbank and Henderson. Its portfolio generates around $ 68 million in revenue for the region each year.
Despite the increase in personnel overheads, the council-controlled organization (CCO) was eager to highlight in its annual report that it has tightened its belt due to COVID-19.
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In February, Panuku’s board agreed to suspend performance pay to its executive leadership team and its staff and also participated in a hiring freeze.
Performance payments had been paid at the board’s discretion to select employees after their year-end performance reviews and executives to achieve key objectives.
But according to the agency’s annual report, it decided to stop the scheme because the payments no longer conformed to best public sector practices.
Supplied
Panuku CEO David Rankin.
In a statement, Panuku Acting Chief Executive Officer David Rankin said the increase in staff making more than $ 100,000 was the result of the need to make sure you had the best people you could get to take advantage of the work you were doing.
“Panuku’s workforce is made up of highly qualified and professional staff to carry out our regeneration program. This increase through 2018/2019 and early 2019/2020 was necessary to ensure Panuku had the best people to harness the planning momentum, allowing for increased capital delivery, project management and development in the neighborhoods of the region “.
The number of full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) at the council-controlled organization (CCO) increased from 203 to 214 in the year through June 30, but Rankin said he was already reducing the number of staff.
“One of the measures implemented by Panuku to recover from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was to reduce personnel costs. Through the change, there will be a reduction in the number of FTE employees in the 2020/2021 financial year, ”Rankin said.
RNZ
It is considered the most difficult budget in the history of the city. Auckland councilors voted to approve its emergency budget and impose a 3.5 percent rate increase. City coffers have been hit hard by Covid-19 and the ongoing drought in the region. (First published July 17).
He said that during the first COVID-19 lockdown, Panuku suffered a personnel freeze.
“Contractors and temporary staff were reviewed on a case-by-case basis, leading to a reduction in full-time equivalents (FTE) of contractors and temporary staff by June 30, 2020.”
Panuku also asked all of his employees earning more than $ 100,000 to accept a temporary pay cut for a period of six months due to the pandemic.
Rankin said the areas where staffing levels grew were projects and delivery, stakeholder engagement and communications, finance, people and culture, administration and navy operations.
Panuku’s annual report shows that it sold properties worth $ 83 million on behalf of the council in 2019/2020.
This included sales at its Transform and Unlock locations of $ 33 million, the sale of corporate council properties of $ 40 million, and sales of general assets of $ 10 million.
