Public sector cuts: Ministry for Primary Industries confirms final job cut total, NZTA disestablishes roles due to policy changes

Impacted staff will be able to apply for newly available roles as well as existing vacancies that are being held.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has confirmed that 391 roles are officially being disestablished, a slight increase from the initial proposal from March.

The changes are in response to the Government’s directive for agencies to find cost savings of between 6.5 and 7.5 per cent on average. The latter number was the ministry’s target, as it has seen significant growth in staff numbers in recent years.

In an update to all staff, provided to media, MPI director-general Ray Smith said it is an overall reduction in its full-time equivalent roles of about 10 per cent “which is a mix of existing vacancies as well as the disestablishing of other roles”.

“All affected staff will be spoken to today and will receive a letter confirming the impact on their role, the options available for them, and next steps. DDGs will talk to their business units about the final decisions and confirmed changes before sending out their decision documents later today,” Smith confirmed to staff.

The senior leadership team confirmed it had received about 1500 submissions on its change proposal, which had been under consultation.

Following the submissions, the ministry has confirmed plans to retain 22 positions in biosecurity.

The team, alongside the director-general, have decided to maintain its business unit structure, and not merge units as other agencies - including the Commerce Commission, as revealed today - are doing.

Smith said MPI did not want to “fundamentally disrupt the way we are organised”.

He confirmed frontline services were off the chopping block and exempt from the cuts, in the all-staff email.

“I can confirm that we will not be making any reductions to frontline services or statutory roles, such as veterinarians, animal welfare, fishery and food compliance officers, or our biosecurity teams at the border,” staff were told today.

The total number of disestablished roles across MPI is higher than the original proposal of 384 job reductions in March. The agency has confirmed the tally combines 65 positions where people have left, since consultation on the cuts kicked off. Of the proposed cuts, 193 are vacant positions, and 133 are deemed “directly affected” by final decisions.

Impacted staff have been encouraged to apply for new roles being set up through the change process. Those affected can also apply to be reassigned to a different position, take voluntary redundancy or early retirement.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has also today confirmed it has currently disestablished 109 roles working in teams that have been cut, or significantly changed, with policy changes.

It has also been tasked with a 7.5 per cent savings target.

“These have been in our Clean Car Discount, Climate Emergency Response Fund and Let’s Get Wellington Moving programmes,” group general manager of people culture and safety Caz Jackson said in a statement.

The agency is currently consulting staff on a proposal to change its customer service and digital teams; consultation continues until the end of the month.

NZTA expects itself to meet its savings target “in the coming year”, and has foreshadowed future job losses.

“We are not undertaking an agency-wide restructuring programme. Instead, each of our business groups is aligning resources with the available budget and priorities, ensuring a strategic and targeted approach to the changes. This means we have to reconsider our existing baselines and resourcing requirements. The reduced budget and new priorities may result in further job losses,” Jackson confirmed.

It will not forecast how many additional roles could be put on the chopping block.

Azaria Howell is a Wellington-based multimedia reporter with an eye across the region. She joined NZME in 2022 and has a keen interest in city council decisions, public service agency reform and transport.