‘This is so unprecedented’: More top roles unsafe in public service cuts

Friday, 12 April 2024

The Department of Conservation is proposing to cut 130 jobs, two of which were from the Office of the Director General.

Senior public servants are being swept up in the swingeing cuts in the public sector as the number of jobs that could go keeps growing.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise’s chief economist was disestablished following the initial voluntary redundancy round. It comes after The Post revealed on Thursday the Department of Conservation’s chief science adviser was among the roles proposed to be disestablished.

DOC is proposing to cut 130 jobs, two of which were from the Office of the Director General. It is understood the chief science adviser and chief adviser are the two roles proposed to be disestablished.

Donna Purdue has been confirmed to have left MBIE.

Professor Michael Bunce, a DNA expert well known for his work on the fossil bones of moa and giant eagles, currently holds the position of chief science adviser.

MBIE confirmed its chief economist role, held by Donna Purdue, who has an extensive career in top economic roles at organisations such as Treasury and Kiwibank, was disestablished.

A spokesperson said MBIE was working through alternative ways to continue to deliver “with the economic experience and expertise we have in place across MBIE”.

Almost 300 roles have already gone at MBIE this year, with restructures ongoing, and a second round of voluntary redundancies closing Tuesday. The Post understands some areas of MBIE have already been told of the number of people that are likely to leave through that process.

It follows Finance Minister Nicola Willis saying she wants to ensure the service was not “top heavy”, and had asked for details on the number of tier two and three management roles.

In addition, Ministry for Primary Industries, which has proposed a 9% reduction in staff, has proposed to disestablish its chief economist within Fisheries NZ.

Liz Mellish says the experience of top senior servants is “gold”.

MPI people and capability director Kaye Ryan said they have a MPI-wide economic data and an analysis team “that is continuing and has a range of economists, including a principal economist”.

The Ministry for the Environment, which recently reduced its senior management positions by more than 20%, told The Post on Thursday this equated to a net reduction of 12 roles at tier two and three level.

Liz Mellish, deputy chair of the Federation of Māori Authorities and chair of Te Raukura, Te Wharewaka, said cutting top roles was concerning, “because the experience of senior managers in the public service is gold”.

Mellish was particularly concerned about the science sector.

“The ongoing effect of losing those experienced economists, experienced scientists and so on, means that innovation doesn't happen I believe… when you take out that strong, robust, advocation of knowledge.“

Victoria University emeritus professor of public policy Jonathan Boston said it depended on how many people were being lost and to what areas, “as to whether that will affect the capacity of the organisation to deliver high quality advice and undertake its various regulatory and other responsibilities effectively”.

Boston, who described the scale of current public service cuts as “exceptional” and unseen for 40 years, was not surprised top level roles were included.

“I suspect we will see more positions at the second and third tier within organisations subject to restructuring.

“If you're downsizing significantly… that's going to affect the span of responsibility to various people at the senior level. Having said that, because this is so unprecedented, at least in New Zealand, I'm not sure what, what kind of precedent we've got to go on in terms of what you might expect.”

Asked what goes into restructure decisions about what roles to cut, Kalyn Ponti cheif executive of Humankind, a Wellington-based employee HR organisation, said when it’s done well, “it's explicitly linked to the strategy”.

“The impact on individuals can be really significant. That's where it's really up to organizations to manage those changes really well,“ she said, adding that included sharing the rationale for the changes.

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH) also is proposing to downsize by 11 roles, after already cutting 23, while the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has confirmed 28 roles will go.