10 Dec 2021

Christchurch City Council Chief Executive Dawn Baxendale has excelled in her first performance review.

“In the two years that Dawn has been Chief Executive she has done an excellent job in extremely challenging circumstances,’’ says Mayor Lianne Dalziel, who chairs the Chief Executive Performance and Employment Committee.

“She has steered the organisation through the social and economic pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic and has put the organisation in a strong financial position. She is always looking at ways to improve the organisation’s performance, putting the needs of residents first.

“It has been a stellar performance and the Chief Executive Performance and Employment Committee’s review has been unanimously endorsed by the elected Council,’’ the Mayor says.

“Mrs Baxendale voluntarily took a $50,000 pay cut last year in recognition of the challenges that people were facing because of COVID-19.

“The elected Council has agreed to a small pay increase in recognition of her hard work and strong leadership over the past two years,’’ the Mayor says.

Because the public sector has been asked to exercise pay constraint, the elected Council has agreed to a smaller increase than her performance would otherwise warrant.

Mrs Baxendale’s base salary will increase by 1.5 per cent. That increase, which will be back-dated to 10 October 2021, will take her salary from $495,000 to $502,425.

Mrs Baxendale will also receive a 2 per cent increase in her superannuation package, which, with her additional annual leave, will take her total annual remuneration to $553,054 (up from $534,600).