More than 250 workers at NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi face an uncertain future as the Government’s relentless squeeze on spending forces yet another major restructure.
Staff in Waka Kotahi’s Regulatory Group were this week briefed on a proposed restructure impacting around 250 positions or around 10% of the total workforce. The plan proposes a net loss of around 36 roles with staff having to reapply for 214 new positions. This comes less than a year after the first phase of restructuring, meaning staff have barely had time to settle before being thrown into upheaval again.
"This is what happens when the Government tells agencies to live within reduced baselines - real people pay the price," said Duane Leo, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pukenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
"These are dedicated public servants who regulate our transport system - processing driver licences, certifying vehicles, monitoring commercial transport operators, overseeing rail safety compliance. They didn’t create the Government’s budget problems, but they’re the ones losing their jobs because the Government prioritised tax cuts over public services.
"Many of these workers are based in regional New Zealand - in Whangārei, Palmerston North, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson - where alternative employment is not easy to find. The human cost of these cuts extends well beyond the workplace."
Around 50 roles in Wellington are impacted, and 60 in Palmerston North.
Roles targeted include compliance and licensing leadership, certification and technical officers, regulatory policy and standards specialists, rail safety positions, programme management, and many technical administration and support staff across the country.
"This is the second restructure in under a year. Staff are exhausted. Constant reorganisation is corrosive - it destroys morale, drives away experienced people, and disrupts the services the public depends on.
"When experienced staff leave or are unsuccessful in redeployment, decades of institutional knowledge walk out the door. That’s knowledge about how the transport regulatory system works - it can’t be replaced by renaming positions and reshuffling org charts.
"Drivers, transport operators and members of the public who rely on these services should expect delays. Processing times for licences, permits, vehicle certifications and border entry assessments are all likely to blow out during and after this transition.
"We are seeing the same pattern across agency after agency - the Government cuts funding, forces restructures, strips out capability, and then wonders why services deteriorate. It’s short-sighted, and it’s working people and the communities they serve who bear the consequences.
"The PSA opposes this and is calling on NZTA to genuinely listen to staff during this consultation. These workers know the transport regulatory system inside out - their expertise should be valued, not discarded.
"Any job losses should be minimised and only genuine redeployment to permanent roles be offered," Duane Leo said.
