Whanganui Regional Museum urged to look for other funding sources

Whanganui District Council has told Whanganui Regional Museum representatives they need to look for other sources of funding. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui District Council has "put the acid on" Whanganui Regional Museum to find additional sources of funding instead of relying on the council.

Mayor Hamish McDouall said during the council's long term plan process it agreed to increase the museum's funding by $150,000 to $1.125 million but also told museum representatives they needed to look elsewhere for more money.

Recently-appointed museum director Bronwyn Labrum said years of underfunding had made it difficult to maintain the museum, let alone grow it. Labrum said the museum appreciated the council's support but the increase in funding was long overdue following underinvestment by previous councils.

It was shocking there was no Māori curator in Whanganui given the significance of the tāonga Māori collection, she said, and the increased funding would allow the museum to employ a dedicated curator taonga Māori and address a longstanding vacancy for a natural history curator.

However, McDouall said the museum came to the council regularly for funding and it was the decision of the museum governance board how that money was allocated.

He acknowledged that the council's investment in the museum was cut significantly about 14 years ago.

"I understand it was a high percentage of the museum's operating fund received previously," he said.

"The museum has been catching up ever since - it's always a bit behind the eight-ball."

In recent times the council had not reduced the operating fund and five or six years ago there had been funding for a natural history curator, McDouall said.

However, while the museum was closed for earthquake strengthening there would have been no point engaging a new person for the role, he said.

"It only reopened in March 2019 and since then I think we've been pretty responsive to the museum's asks. But we've put the acid somewhat back on them, saying why are we the only funder? There are numerous pots of funding that could be sourced."

The museum receives some funding through Ministry of Education contracts.

Before Labrum's appointment, the museum's acting director had told the council capacity issues were a hurdle to making funding applications, McDouall said.

"I'm really very supportive of the museum - it's a wonderful taonga for the community.

"I'm very supportive of getting an iwi/Māori collections curator. I think that's the right decision. They are taking more and more of these incredible taonga and looking after them so it's a pretty extraordinary collection of artefacts."

McDouall said the museum governance board and council, as funder, were totally separate and he had confidence in the museum's governance.