The Pukeahu Park education centre, with the scaffolded bell tower visible behind. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Labour and the Greens both say key jobs at the national war memorial should not be cut, but only the Greens are promising to reinstate them.
The jobs of the two historians who teach war history to schoolchildren at Pukeahu in Wellington, and the country's only carillonist, are set to be disestablished in coming months.
The Culture and Heritage Ministry is cutting jobs and paring back public-face activities to deliver savings ordered by the government.
Greens spokesperson Teanau Tuiono said it was incredibly problematic and the minister, Paul Goldsmith, should not be saying it was merely operational.
"He should reinstate those jobs.
"It's a very important part of our history. They are very specialised roles.
"A lot of community input but also resource has been put into the Pukeahu war memorial."
The Greens in a future government would work to reinstate them, Tuiono said. "Yeah, yeah I would."
Greens spokesperson Teanau Tuiono. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Goldsmith earlier told RNZ these were "operational matters" for the ministry to address.
"We're operating in a tight fiscal environment and tough decisions had to be made," he said.
Labour's arts spokesperson Rachel Boyack said Goldsmith should do more.
"This government has made choices that have led to these kind of decisions," said Boyack.
"And when it comes to things like history roles, I think that's where a government minister should be making a stronger amount of advocacy with their organisation."
The ACT Party declined to comment. NZ First did not respond.
'Top of my list'
Boyack did not go so far as committing Labour to reinstate the three jobs.
"This is the big challenge we face is that there've been so many cuts across arts, not just in the history area, is that it's going to take time for us to be able to rebuild some of those programmes.
"We can't just commit to things immediately. But during our policy development programme I'm absolutely looking at where cuts have been made and where we will prioritise the potential reinstatement of programmes.
"Some of those might have to be reinstated over time as well, so we can't make any commitment."
Labour's arts spokesperson Rachel Boyack. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
But asked to rate priorities, Boyack said the historian jobs were definitely towards "the top of my list".
The carillon job could be looked at around how it was structured, she said.
"But I do think that playing it more regularly than just Anzac Day is something that should be reconsidered by the ministry."
The ministry has said the bells would be played on Anzac Day, and maybe at other commemorations.
They have not been played for five years while the quake-prone tower was being strengthened. They also did not play from 2016-18 while the entire instrument and its 70 tonnes of bells were disassembled and taken out, while the corroded steel frame was worked on - work that is still going on now, nine years later.
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