The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) is planning to cut the number of security guards at Work and Income offices throughout the country.
By Ellen O'Dwyer of RNZ
A security guard and unions say the changes are dangerous, threatening the safety of both security guards and staff following the murders of two Ashburton Work and Income employees in 2014.
MSD says its service centres are now safe — after it spent $80 million boosting security measures.
Twenty-two security guard jobs are set to go at 22 regional offices — reducing the number of guards at these sites from three to two.
The offices affected are Dargaville, Flaxmere, Huntly, Johnsonville, Kamo, Kāpiti, Kawakawa, Kawerau, Kerikeri, Morrinsville, Motueka, Mount Maunganui, Ōpōtiki, Paeroa, Richmond, Ruatoria, Te Awamutu, Te Puke, Tokoroa, Tūrangi, Waihi, and Wairoa, the Public Service Association said.
MSD reduced 20 security guard jobs at other Work and Income offices in March this year.
It comes as official data reveals staff have faced thousands of security incidents over the past five years, and experienced over 1700 lockdowns.
A security guard and E tū union member at an affected site, who RNZ has agreed not to name, said the cuts were "absolutely ludicrous".
He said the Ashburton killings were always at the back of his mind, and he was worried about the safety of guards and staff members due to threats he'd dealt with.
"You can get anything from verbal abuse, to people being threatened to be killed, or people will go off disgruntled and mutter under their breath that they're going to come back with a shotgun - we've had that happen.
"We had one guy who tried to come into the office with a knife.
"It was only because the dilligence of one of our officers who saw him — and he immediately put the site into lockdown and phoned the police."
The guard said three security guards were necessary because when lockdowns arose, one guard ushered clients out the back for safety, and the other two concentrated on people causing the problem.
The killings in Ashburton prompted MSD to launch an internal review, and employ an extra 100 security guards at Work and Income centres.
WorkSafe brought charges against MSD and in 2016, Judge Jan-Marie Doogue found the ministry had failed to ensure there was no physically unrestricted access to the staff working area.
The Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimmons said MSD staff had people spitting at them, throwing objects, jumping over desks, and making bomb and gun threats.
"We think [incidents] are significantly underreported — the reality is MSD workers deal with unacceptable violence and aggression from members of the public, and security guards are an important response to this, and safety initiative — this is why the proposal should be shelved."
E tū team leader Cathie Powell said security guards were keeping people safe.
"It doesn't make sense to us why you would reduce security — at a time when there are more and more people feeling the stress of unemployment, the rising cost of living.
"It doesn't seem like this is the right time to making cuts in these core service places."
Staff in hundreds of lockdowns, face thousands of security incidents each year
Ministry of Social Development data, released to RNZ under the Official Information Act, shows Work and Income staff faced 14,420 security incidents over the past five years.
Moderate security incidents at offices, without injury, ranged from 708 in 2021 to 1373 in 2025 — spiking in 2024 at 1387 incidents.
But the numbers of security incidents involving a weapon at offices increased — growing from 30 in 2021 to 47 in 2025.
Severe security incidents peaked in 2022 at 12, dropping to four in 2025.
Overall, staff went into lockdown in offices 1736 times over the past five years — reaching 544 lockdowns in 2024, and 441 in 2025.
Our offices are safer than they were — MSD
Ministry of Social Development's deputy chief executive, Melissa Gill, said the agency had invested $80m to make sites safer, including in the layout of offices, and through boosting training.
The programme of work was a direct response to the WorkSafe court judgment - and now was the right time to make changes.
She said the vast majority of interactions with Work and Income clients were positive.
Gill said it wasn't true that staff were under-reporting incidents — and they were encouraged to report all, no matter how serious.
But she said there were fewer incidents involving damage, physical injuries or lockdowns.
"Between 2023 and 2025 our staff reported 11.6% more security events. Over the same period, the number of severe security events reduced by more than half."
Gill said reducing the number of guards in March had "gone smoothly", and hadn't affected the way security incidents were handled.
She said no decisions had been made over this proposal, and staff could provide feedback. Consultation was due to end on 12 August.
"The safety and security of the public and staff at our sites remains incredibly important to us. We're making changes because it is safe to do so. This is based on site-by-site risk assessments."
The Minister for Social Development, Louise Upston, said the security guard proposal was an operational matter, and she was confident officials prioritised safety.
"I'm advised that all MSD sites will continue to have at least two guards all the hours they are open."
SHARE ME