Poll backs cutting MPs' pay

New Zealand's top politicians should have their pay cut by more than $100,000 each, a survey suggests.

The Massey University survey of attitudes to social inequality found Cabinet ministers were thought to be paid about $175,000 a year, but deserved much less - about $135,000.

Half the 935 people who responded thought senior politicians should earn $175,000 or less, and half thought they should earn $135,000 or more.

The actual pay of a Cabinet minister is about $245,000.

Professor Phil Gendall, head of the research team, said respondents in households earning less than $40,000 thought a Cabinet minister earned $160,000, but deserved $100,000, while those in households earning $100,000 or more thought ministers earned $170,000 but deserved $150,000.

Different questions showed that "most" (62 per cent) respondents believed income differences were too large and that lower-income earners were perceived as underpaid, while those on high incomes were seen as considerably overpaid.

"People accept that different occupations deserve different levels of remuneration, but the gap between high-paid and low-paid occupations is considered too large and increasing," said Professor Gendall.

Fifty-five per cent of people thought New Zealand ought to be a society with most people in the middle, while a further 25 per cent thought New Zealand society should have many people near the top and only a few near the bottom.

- NZPA