NZTA to axe 24 more jobs in third round of proposed cuts

The New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi has announced it proposes to axe 24 more jobs. They will likely be culled from the engagement and partnerships team.

Already 109 roles have gone from three projects (Clean Car Discount, Climate Emergency Response Fund, and Let’s Get Wellington Moving) while an extra 12 roles have been axed from the digital team.

All government agencies have been asked to cut costs, and NZTA Waka Kotahi isn’t immune from that; it will have to trim 7.5 percent from its annual expenditure.

An NZTA spokesperson, Caz Jackson, said this was not an agency-wide restructuring initiative but targeted.

“Each of our business groups is aligning resources with the available budget and priorities, ensuring a strategic approach” to reducing costs.

After consultation with teams involved, final decisions are likely by the end of June.

The proposed changes include ending 57 existing positions, 18 of which are vacant, creating 15 new positions and moving 16 jobs elsewhere. That’s a net reduction of 24 positions.

Evidently staff working on road safety campaigns and supporting local councils were under threat. A Workers’ Union representative said that the announcement was ill-timed as it came in the middle of Road Safety Week. It’s a case of the government saying it is committed to safer roads on the one hand, and dismissing those keeping travellers safe on the other.

The affected workers deliver road safety marketing and education programmes. They also support local councils to deliver road safety education to at-risk users.