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Career MP Salary
$3,155,600
13 years tracked
Career MP Expenses
$1,828,169
13 years of data
Council Remuneration
$327,469
2 years of data
Profile2w agoParliament2w ago
Professional Background
Updated 2 Apr 2026Nicolas Rex Smith (born 24 December 1964) is a New Zealand politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the National Party from 1990 to 2021. He served as a Cabinet minister, holding various posts including Minister for Building and Housing, Minister for the Environment, Minister for Climate Change Issues, and Minister of Local Government. For a brief time between October and November 2003 he was the deputy leader of the National Party, then in opposition under Don Brash. Smith represented the Nelson electorate from 1996 to 2020 and, before that, was the member for Tasman from 1990 to 1996. Following his defeat in the Nelson electorate in the 2020 election, he served as a list MP for less than a year before retiring from parliament on 10 June 2021 after multiple allegations of bullying were made against him. Smith was elected Mayor of Nelson in the October 2022 New Zealand local elections.
Salary & Role History
13 years of remuneration data| Year | Primary Role | Salary Category | Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Ordinary MP | Ordinary MP | $168,400 |
| 2020 | Ordinary MP | Ordinary MP | $180,400 |
| 2019 | Ordinary MP | Ordinary MP | $176,900 |
| 2018 | Ordinary MP | Ordinary MP |
Local Government
1 role$172,013FY2026
$155,456FY2025
Cross-Sector Roles
Charity Roles (4)
- Trustee
Council Pecuniary Interests
13 declared interestsTerm 2022-2025 (13 interests)
Membership(3)
- Smithbridge Group — Smithbridge Group – Australian/US Crane & Construction Company - Advisory Board Member
- Institute of Directors New Zealand — Institute of Directors New Zealand – Member
- Engineering New Zealand — Engineering New Zealand - Fellow
Property(3)
- 1 Residential Property, Nelson City
- 1 Rental Property, Nelson City
- 1 Business Property, Nelson City
Directorship(2)
- Annesbrook Properties — Annesbrook Properties – Office Buildings - Director
- Smith Crane & Construction Ltd — Smith Crane & Construction Ltd – NZ Crane & Construction Company – Director (resigned as Director 12/2022 - requested remove 15/02/2024)
Cross-Sector Roles
Charity Roles(4)
- Trustee at The Cawthron Institute Trust Board
- Trustee at The Cawthron Foundation
- Club Captain at Shepherds Park Squash Club Incorporated
- Trustee at The Cawthron Institute Trust Board
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Data Sources
- MP expenses from Parliament.nz
- CE remuneration from Te Kawa Mataaho
- Local government remuneration from Remuneration Authority via NZ Taxpayers' Union
- Pecuniary interests from council interest registers under the Local Authorities (Members' Interests) Act 1968