Museum cutbacks follow council budget pruning

THE Whanganui Regional Museum will scrap its policy of free entry for locals, and close its doors on Sundays in cutbacks the museum trust says are the result of insufficient council funding.
But Mayor Michael Laws said any moves to limit access to the museum were a "naive political gesture" and could result in the museum's funding being cut altogether.
Whanganui Regional Museum Trust chair Richard Steedman said insufficient council funding was behind the changes, which take effect from August 1. The council's contribution had fallen from $768,000 in 2006 to $580,000 in 2008, he said.
This included a surprise cut from the most recent annual plan, when the council voted by a narrow majority at the last minute to carve $50,000 from the museum's budget.
"We're just losing too much money from our annual income to keep our services as before," Mr Steedman said.
The board considered a variety of cost-cutting measures, including opening only on weekday afternoons and charging for research.
While no jobs would be lost, the museum was understaffed and would not be creating jobs to ease the workload, Mr Steedman said.
"We're not taking this lightly.
"What the council needs is a museum that the region can be proud of, that provides cultural enlightenment and is an attraction for Wanganui city and region."
However, Mr Laws said the museum risked losing its entire funding if it failed to meet its obligations to ratepayers by not maintaining present services.
"The museum is not in a position to determine how they spend the council's money.
"They're not in a very strong bargaining position."
Council money was dependent on certain requirements being met by the recipients, he said.
Mr Laws said the museum had chosen to withdraw from the council umbrella earlier this year when its employees requested to be taken off the payroll.
That meant it had to apply for funding alongside other independent organisations.
"And [its funding] is not likely to increase next year."
Mr Laws rubbished suggestions that the museum relied heavily on council grants, and said the latest available audit, from 2006, showed the trust had $223,000 in working capital, and investments worth $549,000.
The museum made a $164,000 profit that year, he said. Council funding was also responsible for the museum's insurance and debt servicing, and the council allowed the museum to use its council-owned building free of charge.
"The reality is they're a very financially well-off outfit," Mr Laws said.
"They're saying, 'We don't like what you've done, so we're going to cut off our nose to spite our face'."