New Zealand’s Ardern, ministers take 20% pay cut for six months

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is set to take a 20% pay cut for the next six months in the face of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The salary reduction will also apply to government ministers and public service chief executives, Ardern said on Wednesday.

“It’s about leadership,” she said. “If there was ever a time to close the gap between different positions, it’s now.”

The pay cut will not apply to workers on the frontlines, including police officers and health care workers. Ardern earns 470,000 New Zealand dollars ($286,000) (€260,000) per year, while cabinet ministers earn about 300,000 New Zealand dollars per year.

New Zealand is three weeks into a four-week lockdown aimed at halting the spread of coronavirus. The country of 4.9 million has recorded 1,386 cases and 9 deaths.

Read more via Reuters

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