Source: PSA
The disestablishment of hundreds of staff at Kāinga Ora will have a devastating impact on Māori and Pacific tenants, the PSA says.
The latest restructuring of Kāinga Ora proposes deep cuts to roles that directly support whānau on the housing waitlist and those who rely on call centres for urgent assistance.
The proposed restructure, announced to staff last week (Thursday 3 April), would see a net loss of 673 roles, including 195 currently vacant positions.
The proposal includes gutting the team that works with the Ministry of Social Development to place whānau in social housing. These kaimahi ensure the right homes are found in the right locations for those in need. They support whānau to attend home viewings and help them settle into secure housing, critical roles that cannot be replaced or absorbed elsewhere.
“This is an attack on whānau, an attack on our tamariki and kaumātua who need secure homes, and an attack on the kaupapa of ensuring every New Zealander has a place to live,” said Janice Panoho Te Kaihautū Māori, for the Public Service Association, Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
This proposal also represents yet another broken promise from the Government, which claimed frontline services would be protected. Instead, it is dismantling an agency that has housed thousands of whānau and tamariki across Aotearoa.
Kāinga Ora is also proposing to cut 12 staff or 10% of the team that manages calls from tenants across its three call centres. In total, 66 roles from the call centres are set to go, slashing a third of this essential workforce.
“This will directly impact the service tenants receive when they have urgent maintenance issues or concerns. These roles are the frontline for whānau in crisis,” said Panoho.
Other roles on the chopping block include stakeholder relationship managers who work with hapū, Iwi, and community groups, health and safety experts, building inspectors, accountants and lawyers.
With previous job losses last year, this restructuring means that a third of Kāinga Ora’s workforce will be axed. The Government’s refusal to invest in Kāinga Ora, despite record numbers of state homes being built, is a clear ideological choice that puts Māori and Pacific whānau at greater risk of homelessness.
“The Government has deliberately exaggerated Kāinga Ora’s financial position to justify its privatisation agenda. By stripping the organisation of its workforce, it is setting Kāinga Ora up to fail,” said Panoho.
“The Government has made a clear decision to prioritise tax cuts for landlords over the wellbeing of our most vulnerable whānau. Kāinga Ora has a proud legacy of ensuring whānau Māori and Pacific families have access to warm, dry homes. These brutal cuts will leave the organisation a shadow of its former self, making it much harder for any future government to restore the state’s leadership in social housing.
“This is a direct attack on Māori and Pacific communities, and it is appalling.”
“Workloads will increase, wait times will blow out, and services will deteriorate. How does that help when our housing waitlists continue to grow?”
