Wellington’s Mayor says she struggles to make ends meet, despite earning a $189,799 salary.
Due to growing economic pressure, Mayor Tory Whanau has said she has decided to sell her car and walk to work to help pay the bills.
The Mayor’s annual salary recently received an almost 4% pay rise in July, and she was also a previous Lotto winner in 2002, taking home $1.4 million.
The big question is: Is earning a modest $189k a year enough to live in the capital? Most would arguably say yes, more than enough.
According to statistics, the average household income in Wellington is $165,000, more than $30,000 above the national average.
The data also showed that in Wellington City, the average house value in 2024 was 6.2 times the average household income, more affordable than the national level of 7.0.
Brad Olsen, director of Infometrics, has said the Mayor’s income is enough to live comfortably in the capital.
“So, a personal income of $189k is more than most in Wellington have to live on. Everyone’s circumstances will be different, but $189k in Wellington is well into the upper half of what people get paid and should be enough to live on.”
