The Environmental Protection Authority is proposing to cut 42 roles. Photo: RNZ
The government's environmental watchdog is set to axe one in five jobs as part of government cost-cutting, staff have been told.
The public servants' union said the Environmental Protection Authority was proposing to cut 42 roles, including 21 that are currently vacant, shedding 20 percent of its workforce in total.
Public Service Association national secretary Kerry Davies said the regulator, which is charged with "protecting the environment and enhancing a safe and sustainable way of life", had been told to cut spending by $2.1m.
"This is just the latest in a series of deep cuts which underscore how little the government values our precious environmental resources, and how they can be responsibly harnessed to grow the economy," said Davies.
"It's already slashed funding and jobs at DOC, the Ministry for the Environment, the Climate Change Commission, NIWA and GNS Science which all help to safeguard our environment and prepare us for climate change. It's axed roles at Customs and the Ministry for Primary Industries which protect our borders from threats to our primary sector."
Teams losing roles:
- Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement (10)
- Customer and Community Engagement (8)
- Communications (6)
- Government Engagement and Information Management (4)
- Climate, Land and Oceans (3)
- Legal (2)
"All this is happening in the face of evidence the government should be investing more in an agency like the EPA at the frontline of protecting our environment from threats," Davies said.
"The EPA has been under financial pressure for years. In 2022 it commissioned a report into its finances by consultants Martin Jenkins which warned the failure to properly fund the EPA could 'heighten delivery risks and the potential for adverse outcomes.'"
RNZ has approached the Authority for confirmation.
