Job fears for staff at Te Puni Kokiri

Workers at Hawke's Bay's two Te Puni Kokiri regional offices face uncertainty over job losses as the Crown's principal adviser on Maori issues looks to cut staff.

Earlier this week Te Puni Kokiri (TPK), which has offices in Wairoa and Hastings, announced 50 of its 350 national staff would be made redundant.

Wairoa's regional director, Mere Pohatu, refused to comment to Hawke's Bay Today, and said staff had been told to direct all queries to the national office.

"All I'll say is it's not what it seems," Mrs Pohatu said.

The Wairoa office operated two days a week.

Staff at the Hastings office could not be reached for comment.

The Public Services Associaion national secretary Brenda Pilott said staff were shocked when told of the cuts.

"Like other government departments, TPK has already suffered significant cuts, but this is a relatively small agency that does a big job," Mrs Pilott said. She told Hawke's Bay Today there were no specific proposals on the table.

"We do not know what, if any impact, there may be in the regional offices," Mrs Pilott said. "We are concerned at the possibility of office closures in the future."

In a statement released this week, TPK chief executive Leith Comer, said staff had been advised of the need to work with "fewer resources".

"How we will organise ourselves, and operate, will be the subject of discussions over the next few months," Mr Comer said. "There were no restructuring announcements made today. No redundancies made. And no closures of regional offices."