New ministry MCERT proposes cutting 400 jobs in restructure

The newly formed mega-ministry the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT) has proposed cutting 400 roles.

MCERT met with staff on Wednesday to announce the proposal.

It said 365 of the roles being axed were currently vacant. It has about 1700 staff in total.

The ministry hopes to deliver $50 million in annual savings by 2028-29.

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The mega-ministry was created in July, merging the Ministry for the Environment, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the Ministry of Transport and the local government functions of the Department of Internal Affairs.

MCERT chief executive Jeremy Lightfoot said no decisions had been made, and nothing was final until staff have had their say.

"We will listen carefully to any suggestions they have for doing things differently, before making our final decisions in December."

Wellington Central MP Tamatha Paul told RNZ that the city couldn't handle more public service cuts.

"We just can't afford any more cuts - and I mean that financially, but I also mean it in terms of the morale of the city."

The meeting comes after the Government's announcement in May to slash public service jobs by about 14 percent over the next three years. The changes would result in about 8700 job losses by mid-2029 - 3500 of which could be in the capital.

"We can't have thousands more workers told that their work isn't important."

Paul said the cuts would leave lives up in the air.

Speaking to MCERT workers, Paul said: "You have the chance to elect a government that actually values you... and values your expertise.

"Please do not listen to this anti-public service government because they will be gone in a few weeks."

Lightfoot said most people in the ministry would be affected in some way, and he knew that brought real uncertainty.

"I'm proud of how our people have kept delivering important work for New Zealand while the ministry formed around them. The leadership team and I have tried to give them as much certainty as we can, as early as we can.

He says the ministry must "live within our budget", which means delivering $50 million in annual savings by 2028/29.

"Nothing is final until our people have had their say. Over the next few weeks our focus is on making sure they are treated fairly, are well supported, and have clear information to base their decisions on. We'll listen carefully to their ideas for doing things differently before final decisions are made in early December."

He said the proposed structure would create a smaller organisation with five groups: System Performance, Policy, Planning System, Delivery and Enabling Services.