It’s not all been positive reaction to the news that MAF and the Fisheries Ministry will combine, with both the opposition party and the Public Service Association calling the new Ministry “an unnecessary distraction”.

It’s estimated around 60 people will lose their jobs after the merger, but there has been no announcement about where the job cuts will be made.

Public Service Association secretary Richard Wagstaff says there are hundreds of staff around the country who face an uncertain future.

"There is a lot of pressure on people and now they are very anxious about where these 65 jobs are going to come from.

"I’ve spoken to members and delegates and they dont know where they are coming from, they just know that they are coming and so that places a lot of anxiety in people’s minds.

"It tends to take people’s eyes off the ball when it comes to the jobs that they are meant to be doing everyday."

The Labour Party has also joined in criticising the move, calling it a PR stunt that will deliver minimal benefits.

Labour’s Agriculture Spokesperson Damien O’Connor says the Government has its priorities wrong, and should instead be focusing on struggling rural communities, not bureaucratic changes.

"Every sector in the primary industries needs to have good strategies, good planning, good support from the government to maximise the potential of the export market.

"At a time when we are reaching record commodity prices New Zealand needs to be in a position to take the opportunities from that.

"Unfortunately, we may see through this merger a dumbing down of expertise and the potential for opportunities in each of those sectors" he said.

The move follows the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s last merger, which was with the Food Safety Authority in July last year.