The ability of New Zealanders to access and better understand New Zealand’s history will be undermined by proposed cuts to the workforce at Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

The agency is proposing a net loss of 24 roles or 16% of the workforce. This follows Budget cuts which slashed funding by $8 million over the next four years. The proposed job losses follow last year’s cuts which saw the workforce fall from 182 to 155.

The cuts, if carried out, will decimate the agency’s workforce of historians, with six of the ten historians proposed to be shown the door.

"How can the Ministry continue to do its important work of preserving our history and ensuring New Zealanders can continue to access to it? said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

"This is yet another decision that exposes the short-sighted thinking behind the Government’s funding cuts.

"The proposal to cut historians threatens the existence of Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand, which is a vital online resource for New Zealanders and a window to the rest of the world to learn about our rich history.

"For 20 years Te Ara has been the first port of call for information about New Zealand history. Millions of people visit Te Ara every year, including teachers, students, researchers, and New Zealanders with an interest in our history."

Manatū Taonga is also proposing disestablishing the team that supports the website.

Other casualties include those responsible for the education programme that supports Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, a resource schools depend on. A project to enhance understanding of the dawn raids following the official apology is also at risk.

Manatū Taonga is proposing to disestablish the roles that enabled it to produce websites honouring the 28th Māori Battalion and recording the history of New Zealand’s participation in the Vietnam war.

"All these projects are vital for people to share their own experiences and for all of us to remember and understand our past and how it shapes us today.

"The Ministry’s purpose is to do work that ‘enriches the lives of New Zealanders’ - but the Government is clearly ignorant about how history and heritage contributes to that - it’s appalling."

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