Slimmer Ministry on cards

Press, 21 August 1989, Page 2

Slimmer Ministry on cards

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

A slimmer arid more efficient Ministry of Defence headquarters will be unveiled in Wellington today. The Minister of Defence, Mr Tizard, promised yesterday that a minimum of redundancies — perhaps only 25 — would be involved. A recommendation in the Quigley review for a 75 per cent cut. in headquarters staff had already been rejected as impractical, he said. Details of the planned headquarters restructuring will be announced today by the Secretary of Defence, Dr Walker, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant-General John Mace.

Mr Tizard said the Government had already approved the principles and broad direction for the restructuring programme. These included the creation of a new Ministry of Defence under the control of the Secretary and of a New Zealand Defence Force under the command of the Chief of Defence Force — as he would be known. The Minister said he had agreed earlier that the Quigley review recommendation that headquarters staff be reduced from 1490 to 320 was impractical, given the functions the headquarters staff would be required to carry out. Headquarters staff would be slimmer, but there would be a

minimum of redundancies. In the present organisation there were 1574 established posts (671 military and 903 civilian), he said, but as at June 1 this year, staff had actually numbered 1218 (493 military and 725 civilian). In the two new organisations there would be 1193 staff — only 25 fewer than actually employed at June 1. Some personnel might find themselves working in new positions while others might have to consider shifting out of Wellington, Mr Tizard said. Defence Force staff would total 468, excluding electronic data processing staff and scientific staff.