$78,498
FY2026 at Otago Regional Council
Michael Laws (born 1957) is a New Zealand politician, broadcaster and writer. Laws was a Member of Parliament for six years, starting in 1990, initially for the National Party. In Parliament he voted against his party on multiple occasions and in 1996 defected to the newly founded New Zealand First party, but resigned from Parliament the same year following a scandal in which he selected a company part-owned by his wife for a government contract. Laws has also been a media personality, working as a Radio Live morning talkback host and a longstanding The Sunday Star-Times columnist. Laws has held several roles in local government since 1995. He has been elected as a councillor to Napier City Council (1995–1996), Whanganui District Council (2013–2014) and Otago Regional Council (2016 – present), as a member of Whanganui District Health Board, and as Mayor of Whanganui (2004–2010).
| Year | Council | Role | Ward | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | Otago Regional Council | Councillor(current) | Dunstan Constituency | $78,498(avg)(highest) |
| FY2025 | Otago Regional Council | Councillor(current) | Dunstan Constituency | $69,278(avg) |
Salary data from via NZ Taxpayers' Union analysis. Mayor/Chair salaries are individual; councillor salaries marked "(avg)" are council averages as individual councillor pay is not itemized.
No public sector role data available for this person. They may have roles in other sectors.
Source: Council pecuniary interest registers under the Local Authorities (Members' Interests) Act 1968. Declared interests do not imply conflicts or improper conduct.