More than 200 civilian Defence Force staff have opted for voluntary redundancy, while more job cuts are on the horizon as the agency plans for a restructure to cut costs.
RNZ has sighted an email the Defence Force sent to staff on Thursday, informing them that it had accepted the majority of the more than 200 expressions of interest for voluntary redundancies.
It proposed a restructure and warned staff that more cuts to its civilian workforce were likely.
"There are more savings that will have to be realised in order for the NZDF to stay within its allocated funding this financial year, and to set us up for enduring savings in the years ahead," it said.
It said there were no plans to reduce its military workforce.
It told staff it would be looking at achieving efficiencies, removing duplications and making operation savings.
A timeline presented to staff showed that an executive committee would approve the proposal for change in December, and consultation with staff would begin in February 2025. The restructure itself was set to take place between April and June 2025.
A NZDF spokesperson said as of 31 August it had 3309 staff in its civilian workforce.
They said it has "no specific target" in terms of the further cuts, and will be consulting unions and potentially affected staff before any final decisions are made.
"The security of New Zealand and its interests, including contribution to stability in the Pacific region, remains the focus of the NZDF," they said in a statement.
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More than 200 civilian Defence Force staff have opted for voluntary redundancy, while more job cuts are on the horizon as the agency plans for a restructure to cut costs.
RNZ has sighted an email the Defence Force sent to staff on Thursday, informing them that it had accepted the majority of the more than 200 expressions of interest for voluntary redundancies.
It proposed a restructure and warned staff that more cuts to its civilian workforce were likely.
"There are more savings that will have to be realised in order for the NZDF to stay within its allocated funding this financial year, and to set us up for enduring savings in the years ahead," it said.
It said there were no plans to reduce its military workforce.
It told staff it would be looking at achieving efficiencies, removing duplications and making operation savings.
A timeline presented to staff showed that an executive committee would approve the proposal for change in December, and consultation with staff would begin in February 2025. The restructure itself was set to take place between April and June 2025.
A NZDF spokesperson said as of 31 August it had 3309 staff in its civilian workforce.
They said it has "no specific target" in terms of the further cuts, and will be consulting unions and potentially affected staff before any final decisions are made.
"The security of New Zealand and its interests, including contribution to stability in the Pacific region, remains the focus of the NZDF," they said in a statement.
