Same old song as more jobs are lost

Notice that queasy feeling? That's a sickening sense of deja vu. The announcement by the Department of Conservation that 13 jobs in Wanganui are to be axed as part of a reshuffle is just the latest in an unfortunately long line of cutbacks to hit regional New Zealand.

The Department of Conservation changes will happen over the next few months, and are reportedly necessary to keep the department viable in the long term.

Coming hot on the heels of the closure of the Wanganui branch of the New Zealand Transport Agency earlier this year, with the loss of 10 jobs, the residents of Wanganui and other similar-sized centres could be forgiven for wondering what the future holds.

Cynics would suggest that the tune being played is all too familiar.

Those DoC staff who are either relocating or losing their jobs work in fields which are being concentrated in larger centres - Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.

There's also the same tired insistence that the service provided will remain "roughly the same".

Sceptical yet?

The irony is that the cuts come at the same time as the department's new building on Taupo Quay is undergoing a $1.5 million renovation. The tragedy is that now, not all the staff will get to move in.

The DoC cutbacks are also not good news for Whanganui MP Chester Borrows, who will inevitably cop some flak over this.

The timing could hardly be worse, just months out from the election, and Mr Borrows' political opponents will be keen to put the boot in.

One of those opponents, Labour candidate Hamish McDouall, has already put out the rather fanciful call for Mr Borrows to resign.

It's inevitable that as central government makes these sorts of decisions, more pressure will go on their representatives in the affected provinces.

This may make things a touch uncomfortable for Mr Borrows.

However, he won't be anywhere near as uncomfortable as the 13 local people who now face a massive readjustment in their lives, including in some cases looking for new jobs, during some of the toughest economic times our country has endured.

Feedback: editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz