Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence in Remuneration
Join us as we commemorate three decades of innovation, growth, and unwavering commitment to enhancing remuneration and performance management solutions.
Our 30-Year Journey
Explore the milestones that have shaped Strategic Pay into the trusted adviser in remuneration it is today.
The inception of Strategic Pay
In 1994, Strategic Pay was founded by Dennis O’Callaghan, and SP10 & the New Zealand Remuneration Survey were owned by PWC.
At this time, New Zealand’s minimum wage was $6.13, with the average annual income being $28-30k. We also had a national lead government, with Jim Bolger as president.
Further afield, the Friends tv show premiered, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as President of South Africa, the channel tunnel was built, and the original animated Lion King movie premiered.
Strategic Pay acquires SP10 & the NZ Remuneration Survey
Between 1994 & 2004, the SP10 methodology & New Zealand Remuneration Survey was initially owned by PWC (which temporaril rebranded to Monday), then was sold to IBM. In 2004, Strategic Pay purchased the SP10 methodology & New Zealand Remuneration Survey.
At this time, our esteemed Chair, John joined the business, along with one of Shareholders Don. The pay and employment taskforce was also created by the New Zealand Government.
Strategic Pay comes to Wellington
In 2005 Strategic Pay opened its Wellington Office at Level 1, 85 The Terrace.
Strategic Pay opens in Dunedin
In 2006 Strategic Pay opened its Dunedin Office at 40 Filleul Street.
Strategic Pay acquires Higbee Schaffler
In 2008, Strategic Pay continued to grow by acquiring Higbee Schaffler & launching the very first version of SpectREM – our bespoke database system.
Introducing the NZ Benchmark Report
In 2009, we launched our flagship benchmarking report: The New Zealand Benchmark report, which was backed by detailed remuneration data from approximately 100,000 employees across 500 organisations.
Strategic Pay acquires Moyle Consulting & the NZ Remuneration Survey hits a milestone
In 2012, Strategic Pay continued it’s growth by acquiring Moyle Consulting, and our flagship New Zealand Remuneration Survey reaches a huge milestone of 100,000 incumbents.
At this time, Strategic Pay also launched the first version of Rem On-Demand and started reporting on pay gaps in the CEO Report.
Strategic Pay opens in Christchurch & Hamilton & develops PayCalculator
Strategic Pay opens its Christchurch office at Level 1, 22 Bartlett Street in Riccarton, and its Hamilton Office at the Waikato Innovation Park.
A few years after launching Rem On-Demand, we developed PayCalculator, a tool designed to help people make informed decisions and streamline salary review processes. At the touch of a button or two, PayCalculator enables people to compare the latest remuneration market values from multiple Strategic Pay survey reports.
Strategic Pay opens in Christchurch & Hamilton & develops PayCalculator
Strategic Pay opens its Tauranga office at The Kollective in Tauranga South.
Strategic Pay rebrands
In 2017, Strategic Pay went through a complete branding overhaul.
Pay Equity Tool Released
In 2018 we launched our very first Pay Equity Tool to help organisations measure & manage pay gaps.
Publication of our first Pay Equity Booklet
In 2020 we launched our first Pay Equity Booklet, which provides analysis into pay equity in New Zealand. We reported an overall gap of 17.7%.
Strategic Pay partners with mindthegap
In 2021 we took another big step in our pay equity journey, by partnering with mindthegap, New Zealand’s first voluntary pay gap registry.
We also launched our 2nd Pay Equity Booklet, which reported an overall pay gap of 18.5%, an increase from 2020’s 17.7% figure.
NZ Remuneration Survey reaches 200,000 incumbents & pay gaps improve
10 years after it reached 100,000 incumbents, our flagship New Zealand Remuneration Survey reached 200,000 incumbents.
This year we released our 3rd Pay Equity Booklet, which showed an overall pay gap of 16.7%, lower than what we had reported in 2020 & 2021. We also launched the new cloud-based version of SpectREM, and added the ability to measure ethnicity gaps in our Pay Equity Tool.
New Website & Rem On-Demand Launched
After the successful roll-out of cloud-based version of our internal database SpectREM, we launched a vastly improved version of Rem On-Demand. We also launched our completely revamped website.
NZ Remuneration Survey reaches 300,000 incumbents
Only 2 years after it reached 200,000 incumbents, our flagship New Zealand Remuneration Survey reached another big milestone: 300,000 incumbents.
At this time:
- NZ’s average annual income is $53,040, 76-89% more than the $28-30k average annual income in 1994.
- Mid-level specialists (400 SP10 points) earn approximately $90,724, 115% more than the $42,250 they were earning in 1994
- CEOs (1200 SP10 points) earn approximately $371,538, 235% more than the $110,851 they were earning in 1994
Strategic Pay looks to a innovative future
What’s next for 2025 and beyond? We’ll continue to explore ways we can advance our bsuiness operations, and help our clients even more. One exciting development is our AI project, which aims to reduce the time required to submit surveys – make sure to subscribe to our blog to be kept in the loop.
Our Commitment to Excellence
For 30 years, Strategic Pay has been at the forefront of providing innovative remuneration and performance management solutions. Our commitment to our clients is unwavering, ensuring tailored strategies that drive success and growth. We pride ourselves on our deep understanding of the diverse needs of our New Zealand and South Pacific client base, spanning across various sectors including private, public, and not-for-profit organizations. Our ethos is built on trust, partnership, and excellence, delivering services that enhance remuneration, rewards, and performance management.
Our Values
We live & work by our values of integrity, inclusivity, professionalism, being outcome focused & contributing our best each day.
30 years of insights
Take a deep dive into the past & catch a glimpse of the future with our special 30th Anniversary Whitepaper (coming soon). Inside you’ll find interesting insights from the past 30 years, along with what’s in store for the rest of 2024 and beyond.
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Connect with us for Tailored Solutions
Are you looking to optimise your Total Reward strategy? Let Strategic Pay be your trusted adviser. Our team of experts is ready to partner with you to create customised solutions that meet your unique needs. Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your goals.