13 jobs set to go at Office for Māori Crown Relations Te Arawhiti

The government organisation tasked with completing Te Tiriti o Waitangi settlements is proposing to cut 13 jobs.

The Office for Māori Crown Relations Te Arawhiti was directed to slash 6.5 percent of its budget as part of wider public sector cuts.

Chief executive Lil Anderson said the organisation was consulting with staff on disestablishing 51 roles and creating 38 new ones. The disestablished jobs included vacancies and fixed-term roles that were due to end.

The proposed changes were designed to ensure Te Arawhiti could "deliver on its work programme and is well set up for the future".

"The Māori-Crown relationship is constantly evolving," Anderson said. "Te Arawhiti has recently refreshed its strategic priorities to reflect, among other things, our growing focus on strengthening the post-settlement relationships between iwi-Māori and the Crown."

Those priorities included completing and implementing Treaty settlements, completing takutai moana determinations for applicants who are seeking recognition of customary interests in marine and coastal areas, and planning for the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty in 2040.

The office will consult with staff for a month, and a final decision will be made in August, Anderson said.

So far, more than 6000 jobs have been slashed or are proposed to go as part of the government's cost-cutting measures.

Out-of-work public servants have told RNZ there was no point looking for jobs in Aotearoa, and they were heading to Australia where it was easy to land one. And a recruiter described the cuts as "invasive", resulting in a bleak job market in the capital.

ACT leader David Seymour said the cuts were not deep enough.