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The Public Service Association says 63 staff at Lower Hutt-based Callaghan Innovation were last night told their roles are being made redundant
It comes ahead of a sector shake-up that would merge the country’s Crown Research Institutes into four new entities - and see Callaghan Innovation disestablished
Separate figures show more than 500 roles have recently been lost from New Zealand’s small and tight-knit science system
It comes as newly-released figures show more than 500 jobs have recently been lost from the Government science sector amid cost-cutting restructuring.
In the latest round, staff at Lower Hutt-based Callaghan Innovation - to be eventually shut down amid an upcoming sector-wide shake-up - were last night told 63 roles face the axe.
According to the Public Service Association (PSA), they include 16 commercialisation roles, 14 scientists and engineers, six Māori Innovation roles, and others working elsewhere across the organisation.
A Callaghan Innovation spokesperson said the proposed redundancies were part of the Crown-owned agency’s wider disestablishment programme.
“The roles affected are those related to activities that can either cease immediately or where the level of work will significantly decrease,” the spokesperson said.
“Ongoing work will be in roles focused on the transfer of functions that will be continued at a different entity and the disestablishment of the organisation.”
The PSA’s acting national secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons, took aim at the Government over the cuts, saying the jobs being lost could help grow the economy - a major focus of the sector reforms.
“People working in those commercialisation roles have the skills to turn ideas into internationally marketable products and services quickly and successfully.”
Acting Public Service Association national secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Last month, the Government announced the agency would be shut down and its key functions moved to other entities, as part of a shake-up merging New Zealand’s Crown Research Institutes into four new public research organisations, or PROs.
At the time, former Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins said staff at Callaghan had been spread too thinly across too many areas, leading to poor financial performance and an “over-reliance” on Crown funding.
A letter of expectations from new minister Shane Reti to the Callaghan chair Jennifer Kerr, sighted by the Herald, advised funding for the agency would cease on June 30 – before any of the new science organisations had been set up.
Cabinet papers released alongside the science reform announcements also stated that the minister would conduct a review of capability within Callaghan Innovation that could be retained and transferred elsewhere.
However, that review resulted in minimal change.
Fitzsimons said the Government was driving workers with “essential knowledge” out of the country.
“By defunding Callaghan Innovation before it’s disestablished, the minister is forcing staff into redundancy with nowhere in New Zealand for them to go to.”
She said Callaghan staff had never been given an opportunity for input into the review.
“The minister has made decisions without even talking to the people who are losing their livelihoods over this.”
Reti told the Herald today that some of Callaghan’s functions would be transferred to MBIE, or one of the new PROs.
“Some functions will not be transferred, so an in principle decision has been made for the funding to be reallocated,” he said.
“I understand that in this round of change, the Board of Callaghan Innovation has considered roles that aren’t currently working on customer contracts.”
He acknowledged the changes would be “challenging” for staff involved.
‘“I am confident that the science reforms changes will strengthen our science system and create more opportunities for economic growth over time.”
National Party minister Shane Reti, who recently lost the health portfolio, at the National Party retreat in Hamilton.
New Zealand Herald photograph by Mike Scott 22 January,, 2025
New Zealand Association of Scientists co-president Professor Troy Baisden said Callaghan Innovation filled an “important part” of the country’s science system – and it wasn’t clear how it would be put back.
Today, the Save Science Coalition released figures showing a 211 jobs have vanished from the sector since it last year reported the loss of at least 350 roles.
Those latest included 49 at GNS Science, 40 at ESR, 25 at AgResearch, 16 at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, and 81 at Callaghan Innovation.
“This isn’t stopping - we are expecting hundreds of additional jobs to be lost,” said the coalition’s spokesperson, Dr Lucy Stewart.
“We are aware of continuing restructuring occurring at Callaghan Innovation, AgResearch and Manaaki Whenua.
“This is on top of the Government’s proposed restructure of the science sector, which may result in yet further job losses unless the Government makes a clear plan to retain staff through this process.”
Baisden argued New Zealand was not investing in the research it needs to either deliver economic growth, “or even stabilise the attractiveness of investment in this country”.
“Where significant innovation is concerned, we invest far less than peer nations – and restructuring the system without funding it won’t fix it.”
Jamie Morton is a specialist in science and environmental reporting. He joined the Herald in 2011 and writes about everything from conservation and climate change to natural hazards and new technology.
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