The Government’s cuts to public services are targeting Kāinga Ora - the agency charged with fixing the public housing crisis - at a time when 25,000 people are on a waiting list for social housing, the PSA says.

To comply with the government’s cost cutting drive, Kāinga Ora is proposing to cut 130 roles net in change proposals announced to staff today, said Fleur Fitzsimons Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Assistant Secretary.

As well it was announced today 40 roles are proposed to be cut at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which helps set policy and work programmes for housing and urban development.

"The cuts at Kāinga Ora are rushed and ill considered, coming at a time when the country is facing a housing affordability crisis and before the results of an independent review of Kāinga Ora led by former Prime Minister Sir Bill English are known," Fitzsimons said.

The proposal says that further cuts could be needed as a result of the English review, which was to be completed by March.

"The Government needs to release the review immediately as this reckless approach to change risks disjointed decision making and creates more distress and uncertainty for staff," Fitzsimons said.

The Kāinga Ora proposal would reduce the size of the Information and Intelligence, Technology, and Organisational Improvements areas by 103 positions (by nearly 25%) and of the Customer Experience and Practice team by three roles.

"The cuts are in roles like trainers, technicians, data and governance specialists, and service desk technicians, test analysts, project managers and coordinators that support the important work of the agency.

"Kāinga Ora is a success story, they have delivered more than 6,300 homes in construction in 2022 and 2023, the most ever, the last thing any Government should do is make cuts to this critical work," Fitzsimons said.

As well as delivering homes, Kāinga Ora provides tenancy services to nearly 200,000 people and owns and maintains nearly 69,000 public houses while also providing home ownership products and other services.

The roles proposed to be cut at HUD include principal advisors and policy managers, and communications and digital specialists. Further cuts are likely at HUD in the future.

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