Te Papa workers rally against proposed job cuts

Workers rallied outside the national museum in Wellington on Wednesday in protest against a restructuring proposal. 

The E tū union claimed the plan ‘would axe 14 roles and realign dozens more’.

Delegate Andrew Stewart felt the organisation’s financial position had deteriorated over the years because of underfunding by the government. 

“As far as we know, this has come about because of successive governments not funding Te Papa fully. They don't fund depreciation on that main asset, which is our big building, and as a result, we are significantly financially in a hole.”

The proposal follows several previous attempts to make savings, and Stewart said this was his ninth restructure during his 45-year tenure. He said it became ‘demoralising’, always wondering if he still had a job. 

Stewart said the news came as a real shock to workers, with many fearing not only for their professional lives, but also their personal. 

“I've had one person come to me in tears saying, 'I'm a solo parent; if I lose my job, I lose my house.' It’s concerning when you see your friends and colleagues at that level of distress.”

There were also fears about the preservation of New Zealand’s history. 

“With the loss of staff, we are going to really struggle to deliver the outputs that the country expects of us and expects of this institution.”

“It's not just the natural environment that Te Papa is focused on; there’s humanities, there’s Māori, there’s art. We cover a huge broad spectrum.”

The union’s director Finn O’Dwyer Cunliffe called for the museum’s leadership to take a pay cut in solidarity with workers.

“When leadership is on salaries north of $300,000, asking frontline workers to carry the cost of budget shortfalls is not credible. If Te Papa's co-leaders want to show they take this seriously, the savings need to start at the top.”

When approached for comment, a spokesperson for Te Papa said ‘no final decisions have been made’, and they will ‘continue to communicate in good faith with the Union’. 

Rova also approached Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith, who said he could not comment on operational matters for Government entities.