PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says the proposal will see a hollowing out of DOC's regional conservation capability over time. Photo: RNZ/ Nick Monro
Sixty-eight roles are proposed to be cut at the Department of Conservation in the latest round of job cuts, but the agency says nobody will be out of work.
The changes come as part of the public sector's efforts to reach government savings targets, which have seen thousands of roles disestablished across the board.
A previous round of cuts saw 130 roles proposed to go in April last year, to meet the government's demand for a 6.5 percent reduction in spending.
In a statement on Thursday, DOC's deputy director-general of regional operations Henry Weston said the department was "always looking at new ways of doing things, and finding efficiencies within the context of fiscal and environmental challenges".
"A total of 68 roles are impacted by this proposal, 29 of these are currently vacant. No job losses are planned, and all impacted people will be offered a role in a new transitional structure," he said.
The department was committed to protecting frontline services, he said.
"We're consulting staff on a proposal for regional operations which will put frontline work at the heart, simplify and speed up processes, and better support our frontline staff so they can deliver more in the field."
It would be consulting with staff on the proposed changes.
Nicola Willis has previously defended the government's savings directive.
In June last year, she told RNZ change was challenging, but the government had a responsibility to ensure public spending delivered maximum value for money.
"I am really comfortable with asking government agencies to consider, are there ways that you can innovate to deliver the same level of service while taking less taxpayer dollars to do it," she said at the time.
The public service had increased 34 percent since 2017, but the public had not got bang for buck, she said.
Following Thursday's announcement on DOC's proposal, the Public Service Association said it would see a hollowing out of regional operations teams around the country.
The jobs set to go accounted for about five percent of the 1350-strong regional operations workforce.
The PSA said it had worked with DOC to ensure every current staff member would continue to have a job.
But national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said it would still see a loss of valuable skills and knowledge.
"The PSA is concerned that the reduction in the number of roles over time may see the remaining staff carrying a higher workload," Fitzsimons said.
The PSA said the proposal would save $5 million from DOC's regional operations budget of $170 million.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
