The Vice-Chancellor of Auckland University is the highest paid boss in the public sector.
A State Services Commission report on remuneration shows Stuart McCutcheon received a pay rise of $20,000 in the year to the end of June, to put his annual salary at between $650,000 - $660,000.
He is among about 18 tertiary heads who have received a pay rise this year. On average those increases were between $10,000 - $50,000.
The Tertiary Education Union says the figures are unsettling, given that most university employees have received little or no increases in pay for years.
The union says the Auckland University vice-chancellor is earning nearly double what the prime minister receives.
