Scientist Jim Salinger has been sacked from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research for helping media with climate inquiries.
Dr Salinger says he was sacked for serious misconduct from NIWA earlier this week for doing interviews with Radio New Zealand's Checkpoint programme and Television New Zealand when he had not sought the proper authority to do so.
Dr Salinger told Checkpoint on Friday he has been associated with NIWA for more than 25 years and the dismissal is an undignified end.
He says he will discuss the dismissal with his lawyer and intends to take the matter to the Employment Court.
NIWA, a Crown Research Institute, confirmed that Dr Salinger does not work for it any longer, but would not comment further on Friday.
The Green Party says New Zealand is on a slippery slope when trying to provide a greater understanding of the country's climate is a sackable offence.
Greenpeace spokesperson Simon Boxer says Dr Salinger is being victimised for trying to raise climate change issues, and the Government and NIWA should come clean about what's really going on.
