The announcement at today's weekly press conference comes before the authority has a chance to announce the next pay rise.

Ardern said it is not appropriate for MPs to be subject to such an increase.

She sad everyone was totally supportive of the decision and there was "complete understanding".

"It is about values. We are focused on raising the income on lower to middle income earners," she said.

Ardern said the way the draft increase had been determined did not seem fair.

"We want to give transparency and have another group determine how our increases in salaries are determined," she said.

Former Prime Minister Sir John Key initiated a move in 2015 to peg salary increases to other public sector increases.

Last year's pay rise for MPs was announced six days after last year's election and before the new Government was in place.

For last year's pay increase, the change in earnings for employees in the public sector from 2016 to 2017 was 2.46 per cent.

The Remuneration Authority is headed by former MP Dame Fran Wilde.

Earlier today, her Government announced where 1800 new police officers would be posted around the country - including more than 100 new cops in Auckland.