Tairāwhiti Museum kaiwhakahaere [director] Tapunga Nepe told the council's operations committee there was a great deal of inspiration to repatriate taonga to the district. Photo / Liam Clayton
The kaiwhakahaere [director] of Tairāwhiti Museum Tapunga Nepe says his new role is a privilege.
He was speaking while delivering his first museum annual plan (2024-2025) to Gisborne District Council’s operations committee.
Committee chairman Andy Cranston congratulated Nepe on his appointment.
“I know you’ve got your heart and soul in it.”
Nepe started in the role in February, succeeding Eloise Wallace, who served as museum director for nine years.
Wallace is now the director of Te Unua Museum of Southland.
The annual plan is based on a 2018-2022 business plan, but a new business plan for the July 2025-June 2028 period is being prepared.
The plan states sustaining a high level of visitor satisfaction and engaging with the community are key priorities for Tairāwhiti Museum.
Success in the two priorities would be measured by achieving the target of a 90% community satisfaction rating in the Gisborne Annual Residents Survey, and achieving the target of 45,000 physical museum users per year.
The annual plan said key business activities included celebrating Tairāwhiti arts, culture and history by delivering a diverse programme of temporary exhibitions annually - with at least five exhibitions focusing on Tairāwhiti art and history, at least five exhibitions which include museum collections, and at least 10 public programmes.
Other key priorities include delivering excellence in education, supporting key collections, maintaining a high-quality facility, maintaining revenue generation and maintaining positive relationships with the council, iwi and the Ministry of Education.
The projected 2024-2025 budget shows a deficit of $176,420.
Revenue of $1,033,580 includes income from the council of $735,000 and $164,389 from the Ministry of Education.
Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz asked how the museum made a decision regarding accepting or displaying taonga.
Nepe said an acquisitions committee made a recommendation which went to the board to “finalise”.
The priority was taonga that had strong connections to Tairāwhiti, he said.
Cranston said he was fascinated by the fact the artefacts on display represented less than 10% of what was at the museum.
That meant storage was an ongoing issue.
“It’s not just ‘chuck them in the cupboard’,” he said.
The storage had to be of a certain standard.
Nepe said there was great inspiration within iwi and the community to repatriate taonga.
“That’s a great thing, but also a challenge.”
Ani Pahuru-Huriwai said she wanted to “to express gratitude from the northern end of the coast”.
Museum staff had done “amazing work with our taonga”.
She asked about any significant museum issues.
Nepe said work was being done with the council on a joint asset management plan, with roofing being a priority and an ongoing issue.
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