Defence Force proposing to cut 374 civilian roles, union says

Thursday, 20 March 2025

Christopher Luxon vows to strengthen NZ’s Defence Force to support Australia amid rising regional tensions. Stuff's Jenna Lynch reports for ThreeNews.

The Defence Force has told staff of plans for a major restructure of the civilian workforce, resulting in a net reduction of 374 roles, according to the Public Service Association.

The union made the announcement on Thursday, and said the “dangerous” move would lead to more uniformed staff leaving the force, putting the nation’s security at risk.

Defence minister, Judith Collins, said “I trust the New Zealand Defence Force is ensuring taxpayer dollars are being spent to achieve maximum effect while prioritising military outputs.” Her spokesperson said the issue was an operational one and directed questions to the Defence Force, who have also been approached for comment.

Why it matters

Defence Force officials in December told MPs it would have to stop doing a “raft” of things and scale down missions due to a $360 million operating deficit.

Chief of Defence Air Marshal Tony Davies said while all key missions were still going ahead, with eight or nine deployed, that would become more difficult because of the financial strain.

The PSA says the cuts are “dangerous”. (File photo)

The breakdown

PSA national secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons, called on the Government to stop any cuts to the force until it releases the Defence Capability Plan - a piece of work which will outline its investment intentions to ensure the country is equipped to meet security challenges, including those outlined in the Defence Policy and Strategy Statement 2023.

“The current unstable international climate means Government must invest in all areas of defence, but we are seeing the opposite with these dangerous and damaging proposed cuts,” she said.

“The prime minister is a hypocrite. He said his Government would spend more on defence but is now responsible for cutting critical civilian expertise that are critical to ensuring that we have a combat-ready Defence Force.

“Defence can’t operate without a well-resourced civilian workforce to maintain IT systems, provide healthcare for military personnel, provide engineering support for military equipment and other critical functions. Civilians are the backbone of our Defence Force.”