A substantial pay rise has pushed University of Otago head Prof Sir David Skegg's annual salary past half a million dollars for the first time.
The vice-chancellor earned between $530,000 and $539,999 for the 2008 calendar year, figures published in the 2009 State Services Commission annual report show.
Prof Skegg's salary was between $70,000 and $79,000 more than he was paid in 2007, and about $200,000 more than he earned during his first full year in the job in 2005.
The report lists the salary bands paid to the heads of New Zealand's tertiary institutions, and the salary bands for senior non-academic staff on annual salaries of $100,000 or more.
University of Auckland vice-chancellor Prof Stuart McCutcheon was again the top earner last year, receiving between $560,000 and $569,000, an increase of between $40,000 and $49,999 on 2007.
Auckland and Otago universities are the two largest tertiary institutions in New Zealand.
Both have assets worth more than $1 billion, annual budgets of more than $500 million and several thousand staff.
Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker was paid between $280,000 and $289,999 last year, up between $10,000 and $19,000 on the previous year, while Telford Rural Polytechnic boss Johnathan Walmisley's salary last year remained in the same band as the previous year - $190,000 to $199,999.
Southern Institute of Technology chief executive Penny Simmonds received an increase of between $10,000 and $19,000 and was paid between $230,000 and $239,999.
Aoraki Polytechnic chief executive Wendy Smith, who left the organisation at the end of last year to become chief executive of the Aoraki Development Trust, was paid between $220,000 and $229,999, an increase of between $20,000 and $29,999.
More than 3500 non-academic staff across the sector were paid at least $100,000, 163 managers were paid between $200,000 and $299,999, and eight received between $300,000 and $399,999.