The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has gone public with its plans to restructure the country's employment dispute resolution services.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)'s head office in Wellington Photo: Argosy
The ministry runs employment mediation services from seven centres nationwide.
In October, RNZ reported the pending restructure would result in the dispute resolution centres in Napier, Dunedin and Palmerston North being axed.
The ministry said a review has shown the location of its centres did not always correspond to demand.
The proposal said permanent employee mediators will continue in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch, while contractors will cover the regions.
Labour Party economic development spokesperson David Clark said the ministry's plans were economically reckless.
Dr Clark said New Zealanders in the regions deserved the same level of service as those in urban centres.
