Defence Force cuts 255 civilian roles to focus on front-line personnel
Photo:
Supplied / New Zealand Defence Force
The Defence Force is cutting 255 civilan roles as part of a restructure.
The agency said it is getting rid of 281 filled roles but establishing 276 new ones, meaning five currently filled positions will be axed. The remaining 250 jobs to be cut are currently vacant.
The
restructure was announced earlier this year
, in March, when it was thought the net loss of roles would be about 370.
In a statement, NZDF said the changes would help it focus on "maintaining combat readiness and delivering on core military activities".
"In making decisions, the NZDF has consulted with staff and unions, and the feedback received has meant some changes that were initially proposed will not go ahead."
Further consultation is still underway on alternative proposals, it said.
"Throughout this process, the NZDF has ensured that as many staff as possible are placed into suitable alternative positions in the new structure."
The Public Service Association said about 10 percent of the agency's civilian jobs were being cut and that the changes would increase already heavy workloads. This would lead to more stress and burnout, and force those in uniform to pick up the shortfall, it said.
National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the government was fooling itself if it thought cutting so many jobs was how to build a modern, combat-ready defence force, at a time of rising security risks.
She was pleased the government was
investing in military equipment and technology
, but said it was blind to the fact that civilian defence workers - like engineers and IT specialists - were needed to support this.
Fitzsimons said staff were told the tough fiscal environment has forced Defence to make deep cuts in a number of areas, including cancelling some training activities and major exercises; reducing flying hours, sea days and other training, and; pausing property maintenance.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
24 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Material change for the construction industry
With insolvency and job losses for construction businesses soaring , the government has announced it will make it easier for firms to purchase and use international materials for builds here in New Zealand. Professor John Tookey from AUT joins Emile Donovan to look at whether this move will bring down the high cost of construction. Photo: 123RF
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Climate Liberation Aotearoa protesters target Stockton Mine
First published on By Sharon Davis and Ellen Curnow* Protesters used the aerial ropeway cables as a zip line to access a coal bucket high off the ground. Photo: Supplied Climate activists have climbed into a coal bucket on the rope way at Stockton Mine again to protest Bathurst Resources Ltd's fast-track application to extend its mining operations across the Buller plateaux to Denniston. Yesterday afternoon, two Climate Liberation Aotearoa protesters clipped themselves to the ropeway cable and used it like a zipline to access a coal bucket in a remote area high off the ground. This follows a larger protest at Stockton and Denniston in April which ended with at least nine people charged with wilful trespass. Protester Rachel Andrews, from Palmerston North, was among those charged with trespass on 21 April. Speaking to The News from a coal bucket this morning she said they had a good supply of water and food and planned to disrupt the transport of coal from Stockton Mine for as long as possible. Their goal was to have Bathurst withdraw its fast-track application to mine 20 million tonnes of coal on the Denniston Plateau. While there are only two protesters in the coal bucket, she said they were supported by a huge group of people who were against the mine and the fast-track process. "There is huge opposition to this mine, even on the West Coast," she said. Andrews said there were several reasons she was personally motivated to participate. One was the legacy she would leave for future generations. She wanted to be able to tell her four grandchildren that she did everything she could to prevent a climate disaster. "We're in a climate emergency,,, people are dying from climate disasters. We can't afford to burn the coal already out of the ground, let alone mining more." Andrews was also unhappy with the "undemocratic process" under the Fast Track Bill. She said it placed the decision-making process in the hands of a few people who had shown that they didn't care about the environment and were proud to support more mines. Protest was the only way for the public to intervene in the fast-track process, she said. "There is no longer any way for members of the public to voice concerns about proposed projects like this coal mine on kiwi habitat. The New Zealand government has effectively forced communities to take actions like this if we want to be heard." Andrews spent part of the April protest in a "nest in one of pylons" and was trespassed from Stockton. She said a lot of thought had gone into planning an action like this. But any consequences would be worth it, to be able to say she had done everything she could to prevent a disaster for future generations. "I don't take the consequences lightly." Andrews said many organisations were committed to stopping fast-tracked mines and were in it for the long haul. "We will continue doing everything we can to oppose Bathurst Resources' proposed mine ... We will not stand idly by and accept this destruction," she said. The International Court of Justice recently said countries must address the "urgent and existential threat" of climate change by curbing emissions and yet New Zealand was encouraging more mines and more drilling for oil and gas. Andrews said the proposed mine on Denniston would generate at least 53 million tonnes of emissions, close to New Zealand's entire net emissions of 59 million tonnes. "We can't afford to keep destroying the planet," she said. Westport sergeant Georgie Were said police would be negotiating with the protesters to get them to come down. She said they were in a remote location which made communication difficult. The News tried unsuccessfully to contact Bathurst Resources Ltd for comment. During a recent panel discussion on how Buller could transition from coal, Bathurst chief executive Richard Tacon acknowledged the right to protest but said climbing into coal buckets was dangerous. The protesters could have accidentally flicked a lever, flipped the bucket and fallen to their deaths, he said. Locals took to Facebook today in support of the mine and local employment, with some suggesting starting the ropeway or enlisting the fire brigade to point a hose at the protesters to get them to come down. *This story originally appeared in the Westport News.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Bremworth rebuilds Napier factory destroyed in cyclone
Bremworth is investing $6 million in restoring its yarn-making facilities in Napier. File photo. Photo: Bremworth Carpet maker Bremworth is rebuilding its Napier yarn plant which was destroyed in Cyclone Gabrielle , opening up 40 jobs. It had already been running a dyehouse onsite, but was now investing $6 million in restoring its yarn-making facilities. It used to employ about 150 staff at the Napier factory, but most of them lost their jobs when the floodwaters hit. For the past couple of years Bremworth has been importing yarn to bolster supplies from its Whanganui spinning plant. Bremworth chief executive Craig Woolford told Checkpoint it felt good to be coming back. "It's a great feeling. The staff they are just beyond themselves... everybody can see a really good outcome for this." The plant should be up and running by the end of October. Woolford said the hunt for staff was currently on, including re-recruiting those who lost their jobs after Cyclone Gabrielle. "We've had quite a positive response from a lot of those people. So where we've been able to, we've started that recruitment process with the people that have previously worked for us that are keen to come back." He said they had also had a great response from the wider community. "We've had a huge amount of people just turning up in the last couple of days looking for work." Cyclone Gabrielle destroyed most of the plant more than two years ago - Woolford said the damage was extensive. "There was about one and a half metres of water that went through the entire plant and you know most of our electrical equipment, all the electric motors, all completely flooded. All the machines were flooded." While the plant was shut, the company had to outsource much of their yarn making. "We've been buying it from places around the world. China, India, Pakistan, you know, all these different places, which is, you know, it got us through, but it's also come with its own issues. "The quality levels that we've got from these external providers hasn't been to the same level of quality we can manage ourselves in house." Woolford said by producing the wool in-house, they were getting better quality as well as saving on costs. "We will save between $3.50 and $5 a kilo if we do it ourselves in house." While they would love to see a higher demand for the product, Woolford said things were steady enough. "The fact that we'll be able to run two yarn plants... [24 hours a day, five days a week] shows that it's reasonably steady." He said wool carpet makes up for about 15 percent of the New Zealand and Australian soft flooring market, but with shifting demand the company was in the process of creating a synthetic carpet too. "Wool is I guess, at the higher end of carpet and a lot of people look at it and think it's a it's a big expense, and sometimes it is, so they opt for a synthetic carpet." Now three months out from reopening, Woolford said it felt great to be rebuilding, and wished they had done it sooner. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
