The days of Waikato civil servants retiring from their jobs with hefty wads of public cash appear to be coming to an end.

Figures released to Stuff under the Official Information Act show retirement packages paid out to the region's bureaucrats has declined significantly in recent years.

Photo: Thinkstock

But while political commentators have welcomed the trend, they warn incidents of civil servants being given "golden handshakes" to leave their job early was rife.

Changes to civil servant employment agreements, dating back to the 1990s, have seen retirement packages largely phased out across Waikato's larger councils.

In 2012/2013, Waikato Regional Council paid out $161,422 in retirement "gratuity", but this figure dropped to $47,876 the following financial year.

Asheeta Nandini, council's statutory processes advisor, said the council's retirement payout clause ceased in 2001 with the condition grand-parented for staff employed with the council prior to November 1990.

Staff's retirement package was based on one week's salary for every year's service up to a maximum of 26 weeks.

Only a "small number" of council staff were still entitled to the payout, Nandini said.

Retiring Hamilton City Council staff pocketed $329,489 last financial year but, in a similar trend, that figure dropped to $20,620 in the six months to December 2014.

Waikato District Council forked out $14,746 to retiring staff in 2013/2014 and $11,133 in the six months to December 2014.

Matamata-Piako District Council paid out $1419 in 2012/2013 but nothing the following year.

Waipa District Council does not pay staff retirement remuneration.

Taxpayers' Union executive director Jordan Williams said civil servants were generally "very well paid" and the declining retirement payouts reflected the fact that fewer staff held the same job for "donkey's years".

However, incidents of bureaucrats being given "golden handshakes" was rife in the public sector, Williams said.

"It's often the people near politicians that do very well when, for whatever reason, they want to get rid of someone," he said.

"With some of the councils, for example, we've seen that when the mayor has fallen out with staff the council just pays a big golden handshake to make the problem go away.

"Unfortunately it's the ratepayer or taxpayer that has to cover the bill."

Meanwhile, 40 staff at the Waikato District Health Board received a share of $977,968 on retirement in 2012/2013.

The health board's human resources acting general manager, Gregory Peploe, said eligibility for retiring gratuity was limited to staff continuously employed by the board since the early 1990s.

Payouts were based on a person's salary and years of service, up to a maximum of 40 years, Peploe said.

Thirty six health board staff were paid $702,737 on retirement during the last financial year while $646,511 was given to 24 retiring staff in the six months to December 2014.

Nationwide, the Education Ministry paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars to retiring teachers and ministry staff over the past two and a half years, including $285,399 to 16 staff in 2012/2013.

Twenty four staff received $259,577 in retirement payouts in 2013/2014 while 29 retiring staff pocketed $286,371 in the six months to December 2014.

Ministry staffer Zoe Griffiths said teacher and staff's retirement pay was based on the numbers of years of employment and the individual's salary at the time of retirement.

New Zealand Police paid out millions to retiring staff, with the bill topping $7 million in 2012/2013.

Police deputy chief executive (people) Fiona Michel said New Zealand Police did not have a policy outlining specific payments to retiring staff.

Instead staff payments included annual leave payouts, holiday pay, long term service leave, statutory holiday payouts, shift worker leave, and payouts for deferred days off.

In 2012/13, 140 staff received $7.06m while 101 retiring staff got $5.27m in 2013/2014.

Forty nine police staff walked away with a share of $2.46m in the last six months of 2014.

- Stuff