IoD Directors' Fees Report
The 2026/27 Directors’ Fees Report is now available.
Your essential resource for benchmarking board fees and understanding governance trends in Aotearoa New Zealand, produced in association with EY.
The Directors’ Fees Report, produced annually by the Institute of Directors in partnership with EY, brings together insights from across Aotearoa New Zealand’s governance community. Now in its 12th year, the 2026/27 edition draws on responses from 4,174 directorships and 1,677 organisations across New Zealand, from our annual Directors' Fees Survey.
It offers a clear and credible view of board remuneration and practice across sectors, sizes and governance structures, supporting confident decision making and greater visibility of changing expectations in the boardroom. Whether you're benchmarking fees, reviewing board workload or examining trends in governance, this report is your go-to resource.
Looking for a quick overview?
Get insights at a glance through our infographic summaries:
What’s inside the report?
This year’s report includes detailed breakdowns on:
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Fees across organisation types, sizes, sectors and roles
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Time commitment and hourly rates for chairs, members and committee roles
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Remuneration practice including non-financial offerings
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Fee movements, satisfaction levels and long-term shifts
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Market insights and updates on the wider regulatory environment
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What’s changed since last year?
Take a look at some of the standout findings from the 2026 report.
Fees are up
The median fee for non-executive directors increased 2.4% to $55,000, up from $53,700 in 2025.
Satisfaction is up
Overall satisfaction with fee levels rose to 67.6%, up from 58.1% in 2025, largely driven by improvement among public sector directors.
Hours spent on governance are up
The median governance workload rose to 175 hours, up from 161 hours in 2025.
Gender pay gap below senior levels
Male non-executive directors received a median annual fee of $58,000 compared with $54,000 for women, with organisation type, the level of responsibility and access to leadership positions driving the that gap result. At senior level, the median remuneration for non-executive chairs was the same for men and women at $75,000.
Appointments remain network-driven
The most common method of sourcing new board members continues to be through networks or referrals from current board members, although this percentage fell to 48.3% from 57.9% a year earlier.
Order the 2026/27 Directors' Fees Report
For the full story - order the 2026/27 Directors' Fees Report today
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- IoD members who participated in the survey: $525 + GST
- IoD members and 'member' affiliated companies who did not participate in the survey: $1,015 + GST
- Non-IoD members or non-member companies who participated in the survey: $750 + GST
- Non-IoD members or non-member companies who did not participate in the survey: $1,450 + GST
All hardcopies will incur an additional fee of $100 + GST
If you have any questions about the report, please contact us at governanceservices@iod.org.nz, or give us a call on 0800 846 369.