Source: PSA
Another 64 proposed redundancies were announced by Callaghan Innovation today in its continued disestablishment as part of the Government’s overhaul of the science sector.
Included in the proposed redundancies are 48 scientists working in Callaghan Innovation’s Applied Technologies group.
“There are scientists working in medical technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and mechatronics that are proposed to lose their jobs. New Zealand needs their skills and expertise,” says Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons.
“These are experts that could have had a home in the Advanced Technology Public Research Organisation the Government says its planning to establish, we call on the Minister to intervene urgently and make sure we retain these staff in our science system.”
“People with valuable skills are being cast aside, even though their skills are important for the future science system. The Minister has said that the science reforms are not about job losses but you only have to look at Callaghan Innovation to see this simply is not true.”
“Instead, of planning properly the Government pushed the cuts through in a rush leaving talented science professionals with nowhere to go,” Fitzsimons says.
“While Minister Dr Shane Reti did save some scientists’ roles by extending the funding for the Biotechnologies teams out to 30 June 2027, this has not gone far enough,” Fitzsimons says.
Today’s proposed cuts are on top of 43 redundancies progressed from a February proposal in response to the science sector reforms outlined by the then Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins. Another 13 roles have been lost through attrition during this time
Looking back further, since July 2024 Callaghan Innovation will have lost 164 roles, 42% of its workforce, which includes redundancies from previous restructures and reduction in roles via attrition.
The coalition Government changes aim to merge the seven CRIs into three PROs, establish a fourth Advanced Technology PRO, and disestablish Callaghan Innovation.
“Today’s announcement underscores the poorly planned way in which changes in the public science sector are being implemented. There’s been little consideration as to how roles might be retained or transferred to the new PROs, risking New Zealand losing innovative experience and knowledge,” said Fitzsimons.
Union figures show there will be 224 employees working at Callaghan Innovation by 1 October 2025, which will continue to decrease until the entity’s full disestablishment in mid-2026.
This group is made up of roles transferring elsewhere (including the Measurement Standards Laboratory, Biotechnologies, and grants and funding functions), staff employed to support these functions in the interim (such as, IT, finance, HR, administration), and those whose future is still uncertain. Further redundancies are likely, if the roles aren’t lost via attrition first.
“When Callaghan is finally disestablished in 2026 New Zealand will have no government agency dedicated to applied technology research despite this being a clear focus of the government’s reforms,” Fitzsimons says.
