Staff at Whakatāne Hospital are among almost 100 health workers across the central North Island who may be required to reapply for their jobs under a proposed Health New Zealand restructure.

The Public Service Association (PSA) says staff at Whakatāne and Tauranga hospitals are among those affected by the proposal, which would centralise some clinical leadership and administration functions across Taranaki, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Tairāwhiti.

Other facilities include Waikato, Taranaki Base, Gisborne, Hāwera, Taumarunui, Te Kūiti, Thames and Tokoroa hospitals, along with Rhoda Read Continuing Care.

Rotorua Hospital and the wider Lakes district are not included in the proposal, a PSA spokesperson told the Beacon.

The PSA spokesperson said 34.6 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions across Tauranga and Whakatāne hospitals are proposed to be disestablished, along with 7.6 vacant roles.

At the same time, 41.8 new positions would be created, meaning affected staff would need to apply for the new roles.

“There’s no guarantee they’ll be redeployed, and no guarantee it will be at the same pay.”

They could not specify which roles would be impacted in Whakatāne and Tauranga by the proposal.

Across the wider Midland region, the union said 96 filled positions and 30 vacant roles are proposed to be disestablished, while 108 new roles would be created. The proposal would result in a net loss of 17 positions.

The PSA said affected workers include psychologists, counsellors, physiotherapists, administrators, social workers and staff involved in cancer support services.

Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the changes would place greater pressure on remaining staff.

“All this will do is force more work onto fewer people and destabilise local health teams. It impacts the care patients receive,” she said.

However, Health New Zealand says frontline patient care roles are not targeted under the proposal.

Midland executive regional director Cath Cronin said no staff providing direct patient care were proposed to be disestablished.

“No staff in clinical facing roles providing direct care to patients are proposed to be disestablished,” Cronin said.

“The changes focus on operational and clinical leadership roles that are proposed to strengthen quality of care and clinical coordination across teams,” she said.

“The proposal will enable effective local decision-making to improve patient care and experience across the region.”

She said clinical services would continue to be delivered within existing budgets and stressed that consultation was ongoing.

“Feedback from staff and unions remains critical in informing the final model before any decisions are made.”

The PSA is seeking legal advice on the proposal and is not ruling out litigation to stop dismissals of these essential health workers.