New Zealand Defence Force plans to cut 374 civilian jobs

The New Zealand Defence Force plans to cut 374 civilian jobs to save money and stay within its budget. On Thursday, they announced they would disestablish 667 roles and create 293 new positions. This change aims to prioritize essential tasks while keeping military readiness. Currently, 287 of the positions they want to cut are vacant. This means the overall decrease in civilian staff would be about 80 people. The Defence Force has stated that these cuts are necessary to manage costs effectively. No timeline has been provided for when the final decision on these job cuts will be made. According to the Defence Force's 2024 annual report, there are about 3,294 civilian staff members. New Zealand's national security strategy indicates that the country is facing tough strategic challenges. It emphasizes the need for increased defense spending, which is currently less than 1% of the country's GDP. An updated Defence Capability plan is expected to be released soon. Defence Minister Judith Collins commented that the job cuts are an operational decision by the Defence Force. She expressed confidence that taxpayer money is being utilized effectively to support military operations.