Approximately 30 jobs to go at Scion
About 30 jobs are being cut at Crown forestry institute Scion, the PSA says.
The PSA says the latest plan would affect the equivalent of about 10% of the workforce whose main role was to help grow forestry exports.
A PSA spokesperson said it made no sense as forestry was New Zealand’s third-largest primary export earner.
“This again shows how little the Government understands how science is key to our future prosperity and ensuring we can adapt to challenges like climate change,” the union’s assistant secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons says.
It was more “dumb stuff” following on proposed job losses of scientists, researchers, and others at Callaghan Innovation and NIWA, she says.
Chief executive Dr Julian Elder says Scion will not be able to retain the number of staff it currently has because it was expecting to contract for less work next year.
He says about 30 positions were under review and would be discussed with affected staff over the next few weeks.
New Zealand Farm Forestry Association research spokesperson, Angus Gordon, told Radio New Zealand it was a sad outcome to an issue that did not need to be inevitable.
“We want to have a knowledgebased, first world, bio-based economy with high productivity, but our investment decisions, especially those of Central Government on behalf of all New Zealanders, seems to be saying otherwise,” he says.
“This is just another cut to an already underfunded and undervalued knowledge sector, in my opinion.”
Scion’s role is to undertake science, research, and innovation in forestry and works with industry, Government, and iwi to help achieve “positive environmental, social, and economic outcomes for New Zealand”.