Only one bailiff will remain in Otago after changes to the Ministry of Justice collections unit.
The changes will result in the number of Dunedin-based bailiffs being cut from three to one, while others will go from around the South Island.
The Otago Daily Times understands two will be based in Invercargill following the changes.
Ministry of Justice general manager collections Jacquelyn Shannon said while three bailiff positions were based in Dunedin, only two were filled at present.
The new structure comes into effect in May and is a result of decreasing demand for collections' services.
''These changes are due to collections seeing an 85% reduction in bailiff work volumes nationally,'' she said.
''This reduction was due to several factors, including improvements to day-to-day bailiff operations and legislative changes that simplify the enforcement of civil debt. Additionally, changes to the Family Court also reduced bailiff work.
''Based on the new work volumes and the improvements to the way we deliver our services, we have reduced the number of bailiff positions from 93 to 47.
''We will continue to have bailiffs based from the same 20 locations they are at now and we are comfortable that we will have the right number of resources nationally to manage the work.''
It is understood there is some concern for the safety of those working in single-bailiff offices, as the work is often high-risk.
The affected staff were informed of the changes last year and offered the opportunity to apply for the new roles.
''Those who chose not to participate were provided with an opportunity to explore other options - this included redeployment to other positions and redundancy,'' Ms Shannon said.
None of Otago's bailiffs was made redundant. They were offered other work within the ministry, she said.
Under the new system, bailiffs will travel to where they are needed for work, including to other parts of New Zealand.
