‘Sad Day’: Council To Pull Staff Out Of Marlborough Museum

Tuesday, 25 June 2024, 7:58 pm
Article: Maia Hart - Local Democracy Reporter

24 June 

Marlborough’s council has agreed to pull its museum staff out of the Marlborough museum and hand management back to a historical society, in what councillors have described as a “sad day”.

The council’s three museum staff, two employed part time, will vacate the building by July 5 and relocate to the council’s main office building.

The Marlborough Historical Society had submitted to the council’s long-term plan asking for the management of the museum to be handed back to them.

The council took over management of the museum last year after a review of the Marlborough Heritage Trust, which had run the museum for close to a decade.

At long-term plan hearings earlier this month, Marlborough Historical Society president Paul Davidson and treasurer Dale Webb asked for a “reset” with the council.

Along with taking back the museum’s management, the trust asked the council to buy the museum building it owned for $5m, which the trust would use to invest in heritage in the region.

At annual plan deliberations on Monday, the council agreed to pull its museum staff out of the building.

However, they agreed they would not be buying the building.

Instead, they agreed to a one-off annual grant of $40,000, about $10,000 less than a “possible operating budget” the historical society had included in its submission to the long-term plan, to be paid from existing budgets so it would not impact rates.

Mayor Nadine Taylor said the council had tried to negotiate in good faith with the society, but it appeared society representatives had “not really been negotiating in good faith with us”.

“Negotiations have been difficult because each time council has met with the [society’s] representatives, their demands have changed. We are not sure they have kept their members accurately informed and I am concerned at the way they may have misrepresented council’s offers and actions to their members.

“Council has quite simply reached the point where trust has been lost and we can no longer work with the current society representatives.”

The museum building still needed major investment to bring it up to heritage sector standards, Taylor said.

She was sceptical of the society’s claim the building was worth $5m, saying she understood its book value to be about $500,000, but the society refused to get a professional valuation.

“Council cannot invest ratepayer money based on unrealistic pricing or out-of-touch expectations.”

The council could now lead a change of direction for the heritage sector in Marlborough, Taylor said.

“These local museums are the guardians of much of Marlborough’s heritage and their volunteers are the keepers of our stories. It will be pleasing to be able to offer them more of our support,” Taylor said.

The Marlborough Museum would close at 3pm on June 27 so current staff could move out of the building, and the reopening of the museum would be up to the historical society.

Deputy mayor David Croad said he was saddened by the outcome.

“While I appreciate they technically own the building, that building was built through the hard work of many people – and all of the items are there because they’ve been donated.”

Blenheim ward councillor Jamie Arbuckle said he was stunned and that the outcome had put the council and heritage back.

“To find ourselves in this situation … it's not good for heritage.

“I don't see the common sense from the historical society. I think we've done everything possible.”

He said he did not support purchasing the building.

Blenheim ward councillor Gerald Hope said it was a travesty but it was a “tactical withdraw”.

About two weeks ago, Davidson said the museum had gone backwards under council’s ownership.

He said it was “particularly troubling” the society, as the owner of the museum building, had lost its asset and not received “a dollar in rent or other compensation”.

“It isn’t fair, it isn’t just, it’s hard on the ageing members of the society, it’s disrespectful to the current executive, and it’s an insult to the legacy and memory of the many past volunteers who built what we have today.”

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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