Otago Rugby Football Union amateur rugby manager Justin Gardner has lost his job as the union restructures its staff because of financial pressures.
Gardner, who has been at the union for more than five years, will officially finish tomorrow.
Otago Rugby Football Union chief executive Richard Reid declined to comment on any redundancies at the union when contacted, but said last month every sporting organisation in the country was under pressure and the Otago union was no exception.
The union began a review of its operations last month and Gardner has been a victim of a restructuring, which came out of that review.
Gardner said yesterday he was naturally disappointed to be leaving the union, and he was looking around for other opportunities.
He joined the union five and a-half years ago, as a business analyst and a club liaison officer, and moved into his current role in 2006, when the union reduced its staff in a shake-up under former chief executive Russell Gray.
That saw the departures of long-serving administrator Des Smith and director of coaching Colin Tuiane.
The Otago Daily Times also believes maintenance staff at Carisbrook have had their hours cut, while resource coach Phil Young has been given a wider brief, including working with coaches in the country area, taking part of the role filled by the Otago Country resource coach.
The Otago Country rugby administration position was vacant and Gardner had carried out work in that role.
Tim Colling had left the position as Otago Country resource coach last year, to take up the position as player development manager with the union, and it is believed Young would take up the country position.
Young did not return calls last week.
Gardner said he would miss the role greatly and the highlight at his time with the union was the introduction of the Zero Fees Highlanders First XV competition, which started last year.
He said the competition would go on to bigger and better things this year.
Amateur rugby had a very good year in 2009, with player registration up by 7%, coaching numbers up by 12%, and junior Otago sides performing well, he said.
The amateur rugby division has five staff, as opposed to eight a year ago.
The remaining staff does not include Colling in his new role, or player development trainer Tom Morrison.
The Highlanders have nine support staff, plus three coaches, a scrum coach, and a manager working with them, though some of the nine support staff are contracted only part-time.
Other unions across the country have also tightened their belts.
Canterbury, Manawatu and Bay of Plenty have all made staff reductions in the past year.
Reid said last month the staff review had nothing to do with a separate review of the ORFU by the Dunedin City Council.
The union's staff had peaked at about 35 a few years ago but would be at least 10 fewer with the latest reductions.
