Spokesman Mathew Bolland says the redundancies were flagged in September when the review was initiated. The outcome of the review was 'structural changes,' Bolland says, which led to some roles being disestablished.

However, Bolland says some staff had the opportunity to move into new roles, but didn't specify what those are. He says he understands that a number of the 50 who were told to leave have found new jobs, given the current buoyant job market.

TelstraClear has been struggling to make headway in a telecommunications market dominated by Telecom, and was last year told it could not build a 3G mobile phone network in New Zealand by Telstra CEO, Sol Trujillo.

TelstraClear's general manager of industry affairs and government regulation, Grant Forsyth, and its head of corporate and government affairs, Rose Hart, also left last year.

Bollard wouldn't comment on the reasons for Forsyth and Hart's departure beyond saying that both are going to new challenges.