NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business

What to do if you get made redundant, as New Zealand heads for recession - Merepeka Raukawa-Tait

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait
By Merepeka Raukawa-Tait
Bay of Plenty Times·
4 Apr, 2023 08:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

You might not see your potential but I bet someone else soon will, writes Merepeka Raukawa-Tait. Photo / 123rf

You might not see your potential but I bet someone else soon will, writes Merepeka Raukawa-Tait. Photo / 123rf

OPINION

Since the 1980s, New Zealand has undergone so much structural change it’s hard to think of a business sector that hasn’t been affected.

Downsizing, organisational restructure, and disestablishment — businesses have had to adjust, become more flexible and learn to pivot.

Staff numbers have been cut so businesses could remain viable.

It is not an easy task telling staff, many of whom have given years of loyal service, they are no longer required.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Even when there are reasons why the cuts are necessary, it is still not something most business owners want to experience.

I wasn’t spared either. I had a good job years ago that I enjoyed, thought I’d be kept on. I was, too, until everyone else had exited and then it was my turn.

Why did I think I was special? I did my job like everyone else, there was no reason for me not to be included in the numbers made redundant.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Yes, I got angry. But not bitter. I knew I had marketable skills so I gave myself a stern talking to and within three weeks I had a new position in Auckland — a city I swore I’d never work in.

I loved the years I spent there. I bought a house overlooking the 17th green of the Titirangi Golf Club and within six months my previous job was a fading memory.

Some years later, I had the job of telling people their positions were being disestablished. Significant numbers were involved.

There is no easy way to say “your job is gone”. One person told me to “just bloody get on with it”.

It has become so common these days to hear about downsizing — and Covid-19 has exacerbated the problem because of its economic impact on New Zealand, at least in the short term — that no one should be surprised if their business takes a hit and they find themselves without a job.

I know some of the radio staff at Today FM who lost their jobs last week when the station shut down.

I believe they may have known something like this was in the wind and I believe the MediaWorks board would have explored all avenues in an attempt to keep the station on the air.

MediaWorks interim chief executive Wendy Palmer last week said tough financial conditions were impacting the business.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“MediaWorks, like the whole advertising sector in New Zealand and internationally, continues to be impacted by an environment with lower revenues and higher costs,” she said.

In my view, you can slice and dice the figures until the cows come home but sometimes a business decision has to be made.

The staff will be gutted. Many would have left other jobs last year to help set up Today FM. I believe they knew they had a hard road ahead of them but were prepared and brave enough to give it a go.

They probably don’t see it like that but I think they can be proud of the effort they put in.

Finding a sizeable audience after Covid with businesses paused or closed and no longer willing or able to pay for advertising brought home how crucial this support is to the media.

To those who find themselves out of a job in whatever profession or industry, I would say to try not to sit and brood.

Remember, many job vacancies never get advertised. It’s often word of mouth and who you know.

Talk to friends, family and work colleagues. Use your networks.

Let people know you’re in the market, looking for a job. You had a job before so you’re employable.

You might not see your potential but I bet someone else soon will.

  • Merepeka Raukawa-Tait has worked in the private, public and non-profit sectors and is the chair of the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency. She writes, broadcasts and is a regular social issues commentator on TV. Raukawa-Tait, of Te Arawa, believes fearless advocacy for equity and equality has the potential to change lives.
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Business

Premium
EconomyUpdated

Liam Dann: 'Brick wall' – why tomorrow’s GDP data won’t tell the real story

18 Jun 05:17 AM
Premium
Currency

Kiwi dollar rises 7.5% as US dollar wanes under global shifts

18 Jun 03:59 AM
Premium
Business

Little Island pleaded for lifeline before going into liquidation

18 Jun 01:56 AM

Audi offers a sporty spin on city driving with the A3 Sportback and S3 Sportback

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

Premium
Liam Dann: 'Brick wall' – why tomorrow’s GDP data won’t tell the real story

Liam Dann: 'Brick wall' – why tomorrow’s GDP data won’t tell the real story

18 Jun 05:17 AM

ANALYSIS: Is the economy getting better or worse? It should be a simple question.

Premium
Kiwi dollar rises 7.5% as US dollar wanes under global shifts

Kiwi dollar rises 7.5% as US dollar wanes under global shifts

18 Jun 03:59 AM
Premium
Little Island pleaded for lifeline before going into liquidation

Little Island pleaded for lifeline before going into liquidation

18 Jun 01:56 AM
 Israel to begin bringing back citizens stranded abroad

Israel to begin bringing back citizens stranded abroad

18 Jun 01:39 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP