The Department of Conservation has announced it is cutting about 100 jobs.
Most of the losses will occur in office-based administration roles at the department's headquarters in Wellington and in the 11 regional conservancy offices.
The department says it will work out which jobs will go in the next three months, with the 102 roles being cut towards the end of the year. The total workforce is about 1800 staff.
It says the redundancies are part of a drive to focus more on conservation work in the field.
Public Service Association national secretary Brenda Pilott says the move is a response to a "Government policy to squeeze DoC".
Ms Pilott expects more redundancies, saying union members have been told further cost cutting is necessary.
She says they don't know the exact amount but it is upwards of $3 million and they believe that will have to come from frontline services.
Ms Pilott says reducing administration jobs will also force frontline staff to do more of their own paperwork, reducing their time in the field.
She says the department has no choice but to live within its budget, from which the Government cut $54 million over four years in 2009.
