More than 400 jobs will be lost at Oranga Tamariki - the Ministry for Children - as public service agencies come under scrutiny in the lead-up to Budget Day.
Communications to staff detail about 1900 of 5100 positions are “in the scope of this change”, including all positions in the national office below the chief executive, and, in regional offices, all roles below chief executive and above site manager, youth justice manager, and residence manager, or equivalent front-line roles. This does not mean all of these jobs are proposed to be cut.
According to the change proposals sent to staff, seen by NZME, 632 roles are proposed to be disestablished in total, with 185 proposed to be created. That leaves 447 total net jobs to go.
The agency has vowed to keep essential roles out of the firing line.
An OT social worker told the Herald “these cuts are significant - even extreme - because most of these positions are held by the kaimahi with the most knowledge, skills and experience. For our children this will mean a poorer service.”
Casual employees are deemed out of the scope, and those seconded to roles are set to continue unless their jobs are disestablished or reduced in size.
Oranga Tamariki’s front-line managers, and key staff reporting to them, are not part of the cost-slashing plan. Instead, the agency’s axe looms over back-office staff and functions, something deemed a focus by Public Service and Finance Minister Nicola Willis, responsible for the upcoming Budget.
Chappie Te Kani, Oranga Tamariki Chief Executive, said the changes were the next step in a transformation project that started in 2021.
“Our transformation started in 2021... now we are proposing a new organisational structure as the next step in our transformation journey.”
Leaked documents show plans to bring together three teams within three regions and six districts under a new group - the documents suggest the agency is looking at merging care and protection, youth justice, and caregiver recruitment across some spaces.
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