MCERT begins consultation on change proposal

This will bring the work of its four foundation agencies together as one integrated Ministry, joining up advice and delivery across housing, transport, planning, the environment and local government.

About the proposal

The proposal has been designed within MCERT’s funding, including the savings the Government has asked it to deliver, and would make the Ministry smaller and more focused.

The proposal would reduce the number of roles at the Ministry by 400, from 1,675 to 1,275, by April 2027. Most of that reduction is in 365 roles that are currently vacant. Vacancies have been deliberately managed through MCERT’s establishment to reduce the impact on staff.

“Because the proposal changes how the whole Ministry is organised, most of our people will be affected in some way,” said Chief Executive Jeremy Lightfoot. “I know that brings real uncertainty for them, and I don’t want to understate how hard that is.

“I’m proud of how our people have kept delivering important work for New Zealand while the Ministry formed around them. The leadership team and I have tried to give them as much certainty as we can, as early as we can.

“MCERT is a new Ministry with a real opportunity to make a difference for New Zealand’s people and places. The proposed structure is how we would organise ourselves to deliver on three outcomes: productive cities and regions, healthy environments, and thriving communities.

“It would be a smaller organisation with five groups: System Performance, Policy, Planning System, Delivery and Enabling Services. Related work and shared services would come together, with people working across teams where needed.

“Like every government agency, we need to live within our budget. For MCERT, that means delivering $50 million in annual savings by 2028/29 while managing the reductions in funding we inherited from our foundation agencies.

“Nothing is final until our people have had their say. Over the next few weeks our focus is on making sure they are treated fairly, are well supported, and have clear information to base their decisions on. We’ll listen carefully to their ideas for doing things differently before final decisions are made in early December,” Mr Lightfoot said.

About MCERT

MCERT was established on 1 July this year, bringing together the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry for the Environment, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, and the local government function of the Department of Internal Affairs.

Please note:

Consultation starts on 14 October 2026 and runs until 3 November 2026.

Decisions are expected in early December.

The new structure will be implemented from March next year, with people in place by April.