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Nine AgResearch scientific and technical staff have been made redundant and another three may also lose their jobs.
Redundancies at the nation's largest state science company come on top of the loss of the equivalent of 18 full-time scientific staff members announced last month as part of efforts
to make up a $5 million deficit.
Public Service Association (PSA) secretary Richard Wagstaff described the redundancies as "a waste" and said the country should be investing more in science.
In October, AgResearch asked its scientific staff to consider voluntary severances because reductions in capital expenditure had not made sufficient savings.
Last month its general manager of applied biotechnologies, Jimmy Suttie, said 25 people had accepted full and partial voluntary severance deals, making up savings of $1.1 million. He said AgResearch would carry out targeted reviews in a move to save a further $1.3m.
The nine people affected by yesterday's announcement have been given three months' notice of redundancy following the recent disestablishment of their scientific and technical positions.
AgResearch was in discussion with three more staff and may be issuing them with notices of redundancy within the next few weeks.
The redundancies affect three of AgResearch's four campuses.
Most were at the institute's Ruakura campus in Hamilton, with five, two in Palmerston North and two in Lincoln. Invermay, near Dunedin, was not affected.
AgResearch chief executive Andrew West said a few of the staff affected may be redeployed into other scientific areas that required additional staff. AgResearch would pursue such opportunities.
The science sections affected are dairy science and technology, animal health and textile science and technology.
Dr West said the number of staff given notice of redundancy was about half the number that would have been affected if it was not for the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology making available a funding package of $1.8 million over 18 months to retain some positions.
While it was regrettable that any of AgResearch's staff should lose their jobs, Dr West said it was a relatively low percentage of the approximately 650 research staff AgResearch employed across four campuses and two centres.
AgResearch would also look for potential cost savings in corporate functions in the new year, he said.
Mr Wagstaff said the PSA did not think it was a good use of investment in sciences to lay scientists off.
"This is a waste," he said.
"It's interesting that the Government has found money for tax cuts but there's not enough to maintain our research and development in AgResearch."
Mr Wagstaff said if New Zealand was going to get itself out of the difficulties it was in "we would suggest that investment in R and D is a much better way".
"We're really concerned," he said. "We would hope that this is the last of any redundancies in the CRI (Crown Research Institutes) business and we're obviously very concerned that at this time scientists find themselves in this predicament."
- NZPA
