jul 4, 1989 - 9 of 10 Department of Maori Affairs offices close in Auckland
Description:
Nine of the 10 office of the Maori Department in Auckland could close within the next few weeks as the department prepares to go out of existence on September 30.
A radical restructuring of Maori Affairs, which saw all 1200 departments staff given three months' notice of dismissal on Friday, is now expected to result in a new loss of 500 jobs.
The Opposition Maori Affairs spokesman, Mr Winston Peters, said yesterday the the department's staff were being treated "with contempt.
"It is a despicable way to repay staff for their work and devotion to improving the lot of Maoridom," Mr Peters said.
The Assistant Secretary of Maori Affairs, Mr Warwick Crooks, confirmed that the department had already begun to reduce its network of sub-offices to meet the likely need for only around 500 staff in the new Iwi Transition Agency.
The Panmure office closed two weeks ago when two Maori Affairs community officers found new jobs with the Social Welfare Department and another officer's contract ended.
"We should have ended up with two staff, so what was decided was to bring them into the main office in Auckland," Mr Crook said.
"As staff leave, the opportunity should be taken to close sub-branches."
Mr Crooks said it was possible that the main South Auckland district office at Manukau City would close on August 1.
"It could involve closing some of the sub-offices," he said.
New jobs in the Iwi Transition Agency are not expected to be advertised until the second week in August.
However, in addition to its 500 staff, some 130 staff now servicing the Maori Land Court are expected to stay in exactly the same positions when the court moves under the wing of the Justice Department on October 1.
The new Ministry of Maori Policy plans to employ up to 30 other staff within the next year.
A Public Service Association official, Mr Russell Taylor, said that major casualties of the restructuring look likely to be the department's 205 community officers. Neither the new ministry nor the transition agency are expected to need the community workers.
The future of Maori housing is also uncertain, with no decision yet on whether it will be transferred to the Housing Corporation.
But Mr Crooks said the Housing Corporation and the Social Welfare Department were likely to snap up qualified staff who became available from Maori Affairs.
"In the past month four or five Maori Affairs community officers in Auckland have been appointed to the Department of Social Welfare in Auckland," he said.
"There are many other organisations which require the expertise of Maori Affairs staff."
The department has set up deployment units in all districts to help Maori Affairs staff apply for new jobs in the the new agencies or elsewhere in the public service.
Those who have not found jobs by October 1 will kept on the payroll until the redeployment process has been "worked out."
Mr Crooks said he hoped the process could be resolved by the end of the year.
Source: Demise of Maori Affairs see sub-offices close.
519 words
3 July 1989
New Zealand Herald
NZHLD
3
English
(c) 1989 The New Zealand Herald
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