The University of Otago announced this afternoon that 160 jobs are set to be axed.
They say the drastic move is part of a shake-up in the way they deliver their support services at the university.
Services such as student advice and support from individual departments will be replaced with a more standardised service across the institution.
The original number of jobs set to be cut was 182 however that changed following consultation with union members.
Shaun Scott, organiser of the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) branch at Otago University says, "While we are of course pleased that there are fewer job losses as a result of the consultation process, the loss of 160 jobs is devastating for affected staff. We still have serious concerns about the impact these massive changes will have, and what this will ultimately mean for delivery of services currently provided by these staff."
The TEU said these changes could have a huge impact on the quality of service required to maintain the University of Otago’s reputation for high quality teaching and learning, research and student support.
They also say some of the 2,300 full-time equivalent general staff employed by the university now have to wait to find out if their job will one of those set to go.
These details are expected to known in full around mid-2018.