New Zealand Post is closing its Petone call centre with the loss of 44 jobs, and a further 70 finance staff will also lose their jobs.
Photo: RNZ
The state-owned company last year announced plans to cut 2000 jobs to stay viable as mail volumes drop.
Chief financial officer Mark Yeoman said on Wednesday the Te Puni call centre is moving to Palmerston North, but 30 jobs will be available in either Christchurch or Auckland in June.
Mr Yeoman told Radio New Zealand's Checkpoint programme that decisions will be made by the end of April on which finance positions will go.
"There's no problem with the call centre - the reality is that we announced last year that the mail centre would be closing and moving up to Palmerston North. Last month we put the site up for sale, so the decision was taken to consolidate the call centre into our two other call centres."
Mr Yeoman said it is possible some of the finance staff will find other jobs with New Zealand Post, but many will have to leave the organisation.
The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union said some staff at the centre went home in tears at the news on Wednesday.
Postal logistics organiser Joe Gallagher said despite the company announcing the closure of Te Puni in June last year, the staff had not been told their operation would close.
"The call centre has been functioning quite well and I guess people obviously wrongly assumed they would relocate. But that has proven not to be the case today - the work has been relocated."
Mr Gallagher said moving to either Auckland or Christchurch would be too expensive for many Petone staff.
