Heet axes 12 jobs in restructure

A not-for-profit trust that makes Waikato homes warmer is axing 12 jobs just as its busy season approaches.

Huntly Energy Efficiency Trust (Heet) is restructuring its administration arm as it struggles to compete against the growing number of competitors and to recover from summer.

In the past three years Heet has remained stagnant and its prediction of doubling the number of staff from 30 to 60 in 2009, after the Government released $323 million towards warmer homes, never eventuated.

Five staff have been made redundant, while seven others successfully reapplied for new jobs. The company currently employs between 24 and 25 staff.

In a letter to staff, Heet chairwoman Shelley Lynch confirmed the redundancies would take effect from May 1 and staff would not be entitled to redundancy payouts.

Roles which were axed included the operations and general manager roles. Mrs Lynch has been promoted to the newly established executive chairwoman position, which would see her taking on general manager's duties.

Waikato business consultant Don Good, who has been advising the trust, said combining a management and governance role was unusual in New Zealand but an attempt to "flatten the management structure".