Waitaki District Council
[1] The council is led by the mayor of Waitaki, who is currently Gary Kircher.Waitaki District Council responded to this claim: “As stated to the Taxpayers’ Union many times previously, the numbers we report are for the whole group.This included Waitaki District Health Services, which runs Oamaru Hospital, and the Observatory Retirement Village.The staffing number and salary referred to covers doctors and other specialist medical staff who care for our community but are not council employees”.[6] According to the Taxpayers' Union think tank, residential rates averaged $2,343.