Job cuts proposed as Horowhenua District Council balances the books

Horowhenua District Council is proposing significant cuts to staffing levels. Photo / Nick Simmons

Horowhenua District Council is proposing massive job cuts while tackling the most challenging budget review in its 150-year history.

It will result in 27 roles across the organisation being disestablished, trimming $1 million from an annual salary bill that sits at almost $20m.

Chief executive Monique Davidson said the council was reviewing every aspect of business, “digging deep” to find operational savings, in addition to consulting the community on a long-term plan.

“Council, like every household, business and public sector organisation, is faced with increased pressure associated with the cost-of-living crisis. With increased costs associated with interest rates, inflation, depreciation and insurance, council finds itself facing challenging times, and therefore needing to make some challenging choices,” she said.

“The fact is, the cost to deliver our services is under enormous pressure and, in addition to consultation with our community on our long-term plan and proposed rates increase, we find ourselves in a position where we need to look internally to find significant operational savings.

“We know with confidence that we have robustly tested the make-up of these budgets to know that the only way we are going to achieve the immediate operational savings expected of us is to look for efficiencies across our employee costs.”

The proposed restructure would reduce the council’s total full-time equivalent staff numbers from 238 to 213, as four new roles would be created. All staff had been consulted on the proposed plan ahead of it being made public and given an opportunity to provide feedback.

“We are genuinely open to hearing views of staff,” she said.

For Davidson, who took on the role of chief executive in May 2022, it is a case of the council having to make some hard decisions in the best interests of ratepayers and the future of the Horowhenua district.

“Our organisation cares about the work that we do and the people that we serve. I am proud to lead this organisation and know that I have a duty to lead through the good times and the hard ones,” she said.

“This is a difficult position to be in and one that I know will have a significant impact on our organisation.

“Council is made up of highly skilled, passionate and hardworking individuals who are members of our community too; however, what we can’t ignore is that the cost to serve is coming under immense financial pressure.

“Given the financial pressure we find ourselves under, we need to find operational savings ...every effort has been made to reduce the impact by focusing on vacant roles.”

The council’s debt sits at $180m. To maintain the current level of service and projected spending would require a record 23.6 per cent rate increase under the long-term plan, although it could reduce to 17 per cent once the proposed changes come into effect.

There could be further cuts to staffing levels through the long-term plan process, however, with things like lawn berm mowing, community grants and funding, housing affordability and opening hours of community centres and libraries all under the microscope.

“The scope of this change proposal excludes any level of service change ... any subsequent impacts from these decisions will be the subject of further consultation with those staff potentially impacted,” she said.

“Decisions ahead of this council in the future are not the driver of this change proposal, what sits at the heart of this change proposal is the need to deliver on the operational savings expected no matter what option council might decide in the long-term plan.”

Final decisions on the staffing level changes are expected in May.