E tū members at Te Papa Tongarewa are rallying to save jobs after the museum proposed a restructure that would axe 14 roles and realign dozens more across an organisation where resources are already stretched thin.
Members will hold a rally at the Te Papa forecourt from 12pm to 2pm on Wednesday 15 April and are inviting the public to attend in support.
E tū is advocating for all workers to keep their jobs and for savings to come from elsewhere. The union has called on Chief Executive Courtney Johnston and Kaihautū Arapata Hakiwai, on salaries of $470,000 and $370,000 respectively, to take a pay cut in solidarity with staff.
E tū delegate and Curator of Fishes Andrew Stewart says the situation should have been avoided. This is Andrew’s ninth restructure at Te Papa, and he says it is past time to take a stand for the future of the institution as kaitiaki (guardians) of the nation’s taonga.
“Our jobs, and equally importantly, the future of our national museum are being undermined by successive governments who continually fail to act decisively to address the financial situation,” Andrew says.
“We make the museum run. We care for the collections, carry out the research, put together the exhibits, and host guests. And while many of us received no pay rise last year and further jobs are cut, the highest paid management got significant pay increases. This is alongside the number of staff paid more than $200k doubling since 2019.”
E tū Director Finn O’Dwyer-Cunliffe says the pay gap at Te Papa is impossible to justify while workers are losing their jobs.
“The people losing their jobs are the ones who keep Te Papa running. They care for the nation’s collections, carry out world-class research, and welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors every year,” Finn says.
“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.”
Finn says the restructure also threatens the institution’s ability to fulfil its core functions.
“Te Papa cannot afford to lose this expertise. A basic marker of good management is keeping an organisation financially stable without gutting the workforce that delivers its purpose. These cuts put that at serious risk.”