Dozens of jobs set to be axed at Commerce Commission, Ministry for the Environment

By RNZ

RNZ understands 35 to 40 jobs will be cut at the Commerce Commission, which is about 10 per cent of its staff.

The ministry is the latest in a raft of ministries to announce job cuts.

They are part of the Government’s directive to public services to cut costs by between 6.5 and 7.5 per cent.

In a statement, chief executive Adrienne Meikle said the commission has informed its staff there will be changes to its organisational structure and some roles as part of its bid to find cost savings.

Meikle said the commission remained focused on maintaining the delivery of all of its statutory functions.

Hundreds of workers could leave the Ministry for the Environment as part of cost-cutting measures, the Public Service Association said on Monday.

The ministry has called for voluntary redundancies.

The union labelled the job cuts short-sighted and said the Government was prioritising tax cuts despite the ministry’s “vitally important role”.

Ministry deputy secretary of business transformation and services Laura Dixon confirmed “expressions of interest” for voluntary redundancies from permanent staff had been called for.

Meanwhile, about 30 science and engineering jobs at Callaghan Innovation may be affected as part of a “strategic reset”.

Callaghan is one of New Zealand’s largest research organisations.