More changes likely following redundancies in Hutt City Council restructuring

Thursday, 13 May 2021

Hutt City Council chief executive Jo Miller says a restructure, which saw 11 people opt for redundancy, was a necessary step in keeping the council relevant and fit for purpose.

More changes are likely following a restructuring at the Hutt City Council that has resulted in 56 jobs being disestablished and 11 redundancies, the chief executive says.

The shake-up, which also included 71 new roles, was needed to make the local body relevant and fit for purpose, council boss Jo Miller said.

She said the restructuring process “wasn't quite finished”, but she predicted future changes would not be as significant.

“I was hired to make changes here and one of the things I did was to look where we had capacity and gaps.”

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A restructuring at the Hutt City Council has resulted in 56 jobs being disestablished and replaced with 71 new roles. Eleven employees took redundancy.

Of the disestablished roles, 19 were vacant. Twenty-six staff had found new roles in the council.

“Those 11 people [who took redundancy] didn’t have a direct match to a job. They were legally entitled to take redundancy, and that’s the choice they made.”

She said the world was changing, and things such as the declaration of a climate emergency and a housing crisis had shifted the council’s priorities. New roles had been made in several areas such as waste and recycling, information technology and subdivision engineers.

Significant changes to local government also informed the restructuring. The central government is examining plans to amalgamate water services and resource consenting, and last month Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced a review that will reshape how local authorities function over the next 25 to 30 years.

Hutt City Mayor Campbell Barry said the council had ambitious plans for the city.

“The public has high expectations of me and of all elected members, and in turn we have high expectations of our chief executive to deliver.

“We have to turn the tide on decades of underinvestment in our infrastructure, while at the same time building the strong foundations we need for our city’s growth.”