Auckland mayor Len Brown says the council chief executive's pay will be cut and the salaries of other senior staff reviewed in the next few months.
Re-elected to head the supercity, Mr Brown said on Monday a review of salaries within both the Auckland Council and of senior staff on council-controlled organisations like Watercare will begin.
"I really want to get that done short, sharp, so the first three, four months of council we will have some definitive positions coming out of that," he told Radio New Zealand's Morning Report programme.
"You will see with the new chief executive that there will be some movement down, but we're in the midst of negotiations on that, and it's not appropriate really to debate that ."
Meanwhile, lobbying is underway for key positions in the Auckland super city's second term of governance.
Councillor Penny Hulse was the deputy mayor in the last term, and told Radio New Zealand's Nine to Noon programme she will be talking to Mr Brown about whether to put her hat in the ring for the position again.
Councillor Cameron Brewer said the centre right is looking at four senior committee chairperson roles, which they would like to see spread across the political field. He said it would show the mayor is prepared to be inclusive.
Dalziel to look at the books
The newly-elected mayor of Christchurch, Lianne Dalziel, says she will inspect the city council's books as soon as possible.
The former Labour MP says she has had informal meetings with most councillors and staff, and with Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee.
Ms Dalziel says meetings will continue this week and says one of the first things she wants to address on her agenda is to open the council's books.
"There's been a sense of decisions made behind closed doors, agreements entered into that people don't understand, insurance deals that we don't absolutely know what that means for our city."
High hopes for new council
Community leaders in Christchurch are hoping for a more open and accessible city council after several new people were elected. Just four of the sitting councillors have kept their positions in the elections.
Ali Hughes, chair of the Cancern group that advocates for people with quake-damaged homes, says she is excited by the new council, and encouraged by the promises of better engagement with the community.
Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce chief executive Peter Townsend says this will be a new beginning for the city.
He is confident that if the council is more open about its decisions, its relationship with central government will improve.
