Agenda of Toitu Otago Settlers Museum Board

ToitŪ Otago Settlers Museum Board

3 July 2019

Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

MINUTES

Minutes of an ordinary meeting of the Toitu Otago Settlers Museum Board held in the Otago Settlers Association Board Room, Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, 31 Queens Gardens, Dunedin on Wednesday 03 April 2019, commencing at 9.10 am

PRESENT

Chairperson	Phil Dowsett
Members	Cr Rachel Elder	Cr Doug Hall
	Cr Aaron Hawkins	Susan Schweigman

IN ATTENDANCE

Nick Dixon (Group Manager Ara Toi) and Cam McCracken (Acting Director Toitū Otago Settlers Museum)

Governance Support Officer Rebecca Murray

1 Apologies

Moved (Mr Phil Dowsett/Cr Doug Hall):

That the Board:

Accepts the apology from Peter Smith.

Motion carried (TOSM/2019/005)

2 Confirmation of agenda

Moved (Mr Phil Dowsett/Cr Doug Hall):

That the Board:

Confirms the agenda without addition or alteration

Motion carried (TOSM/2019/006)

3 Declarations of interest

Members were reminded of the need to stand aside from decision-making when a conflict arose between their role as an elected representative and any private or other external interest they might have.

Moved (Mr Phil Dowsett/Cr Doug Hall):

That the Board:

a) Notes the Elected or Independent Members' Interest Register

b) Confirms the proposed management plan for Elected or Independent Members' Interests.

Motion carried (TOSM/2019/007)

4 Confirmation of Minutes

4.1 Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board meeting - 20 February 2019

Moved (Mr Phil Dowsett/Cr Rachel Elder):

That the Board:

Confirms the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board meeting held on 20 February 2019 as a correct record.

Motion carried (TOSM/2019/008)

Reports

5 Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Activity Report

A report covered the activities of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum for the period of January to February 2019.

The Group Manager Ara Toi (Nick Dixon) and the Acting Director of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum (Cam McCracken) responded to members questions.

Moved (Mr Phil Dowsett/Cr Aaron Hawkins):

That the Board:

a) Notes the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Activity Report

Motion carried (TOSM/2019/009)

The meeting concluded at 9.25 am.

..............................................

CHAIRPERSON

ToitŪ Otago Settlers Museum Board

3 July 2019

Reports

Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Activity Report for March - April 2019

Department: Arts and Culture

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 This report covers the activities of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum (TOSM) for the period of March– April 2019.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Board:

a) Notes the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Activity Report

BACKGROUND

2 This report is written for the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board meeting and details the latest activities and KPI performance at the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum and Lan Yuan.

DISCUSSION

3 There were 53,798 visitors to the Museum from 1 March to 30 April 2019. This represents a 5,406 decrease on the same period last year. This shows an overall decrease of 9.1% on the same period last year and an overall decrease of 8.8% year-to-date. While at first glance these figures may appear disappointing, they represent more normal levels of visitation after record highs. The Museum will more than meet its visitation targets this year. Feedback from visitors and TOSM results in the Dunedin Resident Opinion Survey continue to be exceptional.

4 There were 9,184 visitors to Lan Yuan the Dunedin Chinese Garden (DCG) from 1 March to 30 April 2019 which is a decrease of 2,200 on the same period last year. The year-to-date visitation is 41,391 and is a decrease of 5,676 or 12% on the same time last year. Our free events have been slightly less popular, but we are achieving revenue targets with paying visitors and value-added merchandise and food/beverage sales.

Financial Summary

	Year to Date 31 March 2019
Revenue	YTD Actual $000	YTD Budget $000	Variance $000
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum	4,396	4,340	56	F
Lan Yuan	658	606	52	F
Total revenue	5,054	4,946	108	F

Expenditure
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum	4,236	4,374	138	F
Lan Yuan	638	614	(24)	U
Total expenditure	4,874	4,988	114	F


Net Surplus/(Deficit)	180	(42)	222	F
	April results pending

Visitor Experience

Exhibitions

5 Suffrage & Beyond: 1893-2018 – continues to run in the Special Exhibitions Gallery. The exhibition, which was opened by Dame Silvia Cartwright, marks the 125^th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New Zealand and coincides with the national celebrations organised through the Suffrage 125 project. The exhibition also explores the progress and change in the lives of women over the ensuing 125 years. Suffrage & Beyond: 1893-2018 closes on 28 July 2019.

6 The Mount Felix Tapestry, an exhibition touring from the UK, but with very strong New Zealand connections, completed a very successful run in the NZR ‘Bullnose’ Gallery from March 15 to April 28. The display was a popular part of our Anzac commemorations, especially with many embroiderers and textile enthusiasts. During WWI 27,000 wounded NZ soldiers were treated at No.2 NZ General Hospital in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, England. This community stitch project commemorates those soldiers and the hospital staff who cared for them, celebrating the links forged between Walton and New Zealand.

7 The Call To Arms military display underwent a change-out now that the five-year WWI00 Commemorations are over. The new long-term elements focus on the final days of WWI, as well as WWII and the Scottish Regiment.

8 Since the beginning of November 2018 many of the Visitor Experience Team have been assisting with work behind the scenes on the Collections Legacy Projects. These projects include processing the IR (Interim Receipt) Donations backlog, cataloguing and reorganising the Costume & Textiles Store, and improving and rationalising storage solutions in the large First Floor Collection Store. The Store Project was recently completed, while the remaining Legacy Projects are proceeding extremely well.

9 Work has begun on replacing the seats in the rear section of the Tiger Tea Trolleybus (which is open to the public), with high-quality facsimile seating elements. At the end of this project all the seating will be robust and uniform, and we will then be installing a new audio-visual component to enhance the experience of riding the Tiger tea bus.

Public Programmes

10 TOSM hosted over 25 public programmes which included guest speakers Russell Atkinson, Professor Liam McIlvanney, Professor Alex Miller, Cheryl Jenkins, Claire Orbell and Hayden Cawte on the subjects of: music, human sculpture, film, commemorative tea, play groups, stitching, drama, selkies and sea creatures.

11 Ever popular are the school holiday programmes the museum offers to families. This holiday it was Scottish themed arts, crafts and dress ups and a Scottish Trail that saw visitors searching the entire museum for Scottish Treasures. Highlights of the holiday programme included poppy making for Anzac Day, a children’s Anzac Drama Workshop and several Easter Egg painting workshops.

12 As per tradition TOSM supported the official Dunedin ANZAC Dawn Service at the Queen’s Garden Cenotaph by providing tea and biscuits. The public were invited to enjoy refreshments in the Josephine Foyer from 7.am where they were greeted and made welcome by Museum staff and volunteers from the Otago Settlers Association (OSA). Museum hosts were rostered on so that the galleries could be explored. There were 200 visitors of mixed ages, from babies to the very elderly. Refreshments and a warm space to socialise and reflect on the occasion were greatly appreciated.

Education

Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom (LEOTC)

13 Term One’s LEOTC programme was very popular with a total of 1,691 students visiting. Of those 1,126 were primary and 559 were secondary students. Accompanying the students were 296 adults.

14 Themes explored in the junior LEOTC Programmes included Whakapapa, Migration, Otago’s Anzacs, Treaty of Waitangi, Otago’s Chinese history, Chinese culture with visits to Lan Yuan the Dunedin Chinese Garden, Past and Present, Technology, Identity & Ancestry, Museum Treasures and their stories, Gold Rush, Parihaka and a Victorian Classroom drama.

15 Seniors were engaged with programmes exploring Women’s Suffrage, Migration and Settlement, Chinese History, Parihaka, NCEA History research and Senior Drama Devising.

Collections Management

16 Excellent progress is being made on the large Collections Legacy project which is now approximately half way through the time that has been allocated for this work.

17 The reorganisation, cataloguing and seismic protection of items in the Large Object Store has been completed. This was a huge job and a small team from TOSM and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery (DPAG) worked tirelessly for three months to complete.

18 Many thousands of donated items have now been processed in to the collection which are part of the six-year backlog which built up after the redevelopment of the Museum in 2013. Currently there is an estimated three more years of material to process meaning that the Museum is well on track to complete this task.

19 Archive staff members have been involved in the processing of backlogged donated archival material; the photographic digitization and cataloguing of the Rockliff archive collection; work on archival items for exhibitions and change-outs; and continued work with volunteers in the photographic portrait and photographic album collections.

Mana Whenua Engagement

20 TOSM continues to work with the Kāi Tahu Liaison Group with the next meeting scheduled for May 2019. Under discussion are Whakawātea and Taoka Māori guidelines; Whakapapa panels, Waharoa, Collections and Exhibitions projects.

Commercial Activity

21 Comparative increases in retail revenue continued in March and April. The significant areas of growth were in Accessories, Jewellery, Apparel and Homewares. Sales were buoyant through the cruise ship season.

Lan Yuan – Dunedin Chinese Garden

22 There were no public programmes at Lan Yuan in March and April.

23 The Dunedin Chinese Garden Advisory Board meeting was held at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum on 8 April 2019.

OPTIONS

24 There are no options as this report is for information only.

Option One – Recommended Option

Option Two – Status Quo

NEXT STEPS

25 There are no next steps as this report is for information only.

Signatories

Author:

Cam McCracken - Dunedin Public Art Gallery Director

Authoriser:

Simon Pickford - General Manager Community Services

Nick Dixon - Group Manager Ara Toi

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS

Fit with purpose of Local Government

This report promotes the cultural well-being of communities in the present and for the future.

Fit with strategic framework

	Contributes	Detracts	Not applicable
Social Wellbeing Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Economic Development Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Environment Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Arts and Culture Strategy	☒	☐	☐
3 Waters Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Spatial Plan	☐	☐	☒
Integrated Transport Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Parks and Recreation Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Other strategic projects/policies/plans	☒	☐	☐

The activities in this report support the Arts and Culture, Economic Development and Social Wellbeing Strategies.

Māori Impact Statement

There are no known impacts for tangata whenua. The Museum consults with and works closely with the Kāi Tahu Advisory Group.

Sustainability

No implications although the principles of sustainability underpins all of the activity of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum and Lan Yuan the Dunedin Chinese Garden.

LTP/Annual Plan / Financial Strategy /Infrastructure Strategy

This report is for noting purposes only.

Financial considerations

This report is for noting purposes only.

Significance

In terms of the Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy, the matters in this report are deemed to be of low significance.

Engagement – external

This report is for noting purposes only.

Engagement - internal

This report is for noting purposes only.

Risks: Legal / Health and Safety etc.

There are no legal or health and safety risks related to matters in this report.

Conflict of Interest

There are no known conflicts of interest.

Community Boards

There are no known specific implications for Community Boards.

ToitŪ Otago Settlers Museum Board

3 July 2019

Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Activity Report for May 2019

Department: Arts and Culture

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 This report covers the activities of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum for the period 1 May to 31 May 2019.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Board:

a) Notes the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Activity Report

BACKGROUND

2 This report is written for the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum (TOSM) Board Meeting and details the latest activities and KPI performance at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum and Lan Yuan (DCG).

DISCUSSION

Visitors

3 There were 21,166 visitors to the Museum from 1 May to 31 May 2019. This represents a 2,392 decrease on the same period last year. This shows an overall decrease of 10.15% on the same period last year and an overall decrease of 8.7% year-to-date. These figures represent normal levels of figures after record highs. The Museum has already exceeded visitation targets this year. The Resident Opinion Survey information continues to reflect exceptionally positive results.

4 There were 1,619 visitors to Lan Yuan the Dunedin Chinese Garden from 1 May to 31 May 2019 which is a decrease of 590 on the same period last year. The year-to-date visitation is 43,937 and is a decrease of 5,339 or 10.83% on the same time last year. Revenue targets are being achieved.

Financial Summary

	Year to Date 31 May 2019
Revenue	YTD Actual $000	YTD Budget $000	Variance $000
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum	5,357.2	5,304.6	52.6	F
Lan Yuan	802.2	740.3	61.9	F
Total revenue	6,159.4	6,044.9	114.5	F

Expenditure
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum	5,047.5	5,341.4	293.9	F
Lan Yuan	781.8	744.1	(37.7)	U
Total expenditure	5,829.3	6,085.5	256.2	F


Net Surplus/(Deficit)	330.1	(40.6)	370.7	F

Visitor Experience

Exhibitions

5 Suffrage & Beyond: 1893-2018 continues to run in the Special Exhibitions Gallery. The exhibition, which was opened by Dame Silvia Cartwright, marks the 125^th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New Zealand and coincides with the national celebrations organised through the Suffrage 125 project. The exhibition also explores the progress and change in the lives of women over the ensuing 125 years. Suffrage & Beyond: 1893-2018 closes on 28 July 2019.

Exhibit Refurbish

6 Work has been completed on replacing the seats in the rear section of the Tiger Tea Trolleybus in the Transport Gallery to make a more pleasant experience for visitors and allow more access to the seats on the bus. The team also took the opportunity to install a new audio-visual component to enhance the experience of riding the Tiger tea bus. A new version of the current film is now projected onto clear acrylic with a thin layer of holographic projection film applied. This allows visitors to see through the screen to the front section of the bus while passengers appear to take a journey on the trolleybus though a 1970’s Dunedin.

Collections Legacy Projects

7 Since the beginning of November 2018 many of the Visitor Experience Team have been assisting with work behind the scenes on the Collections Legacy Projects. These projects include processing the Interim Receipt (IR) donations backlog, cataloguing and reorganising the Costume & Textiles Store, and improving and rationalising storage solutions in the large First Floor Collection Store. The Store Project was recently completed, while the remaining Legacy Projects are proceeding extremely well.

Business as Usual

8 Teams continue to work on several ongoing swap-outs and updates to displays throughout the Museum and prepare for upcoming changes and touring displays.

Public Programmes

9 TOSM and DCG hosted over 15 programmes for the period with over 473 attendees. Highlights during May included the Berg-Prescott Jazz Duo with musicians Nathan Berg and Calder Prescott, guest speaker for the ‘Great Scots’ series Professor Lyall Hanton, and Blood on the Coal, a live theatre piece marking the 140^th anniversary of the 1879 Kaitangata Mining Disaster. Tuesday Club sponsored by the Otago Settlers Association, Music Saturday, Toddler Time and other regular programmes were also held during May.

Education

Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom (LEOTC)

10 A total of 1,147 students visited the Museum as part of the of the LEOTC experience. Of those, 907 were primary and 240 were secondary students. Programmes presented in May included the Kāi Tahu exhibitions resource and included a new cultural mapping activity. Ten classes participated in this. Primary programmes included Victorian classroom drama, toy, games and communication. Secondary drama students from five schools devised drama pieces and worked within the New Edinburgh Exhibition.

Collections

11 As advised in earlier Board reports, excellent progress is being made on the Collections Legacy project which is just over halfway through the time allocated for this work.

12 The reorganisation and seismic protection of objects in the Large Collection Store was completed in March 2019.

13 Many thousands of donated items have been processed into the collection. We have processed just over five years of the six-year backlog of material.

14 We have employed three Archives Assistants to begin work in our Archive processing donated items, completing cataloguing and the digitisation of the photographic and portrait album collections.

Mana Whenua

15 A meeting of TOSM and Kāi Tahu Liaison Group was held at the Museum on 14 May 2019. We continue to work closely on a number of projects in development.

Commercial Activity

16 Comparative increases in revenue continued in May buoyed by revenue growth in cards and publications sales.

Lan Yuan

17 One tour group visited the Garden during the May period and two programmes were held in the Tower Room.

18 A Garden Planning Meeting was held at Lan Yuan on 22 May 2019.

19 A crew from Grand Design New Zealand visited Lan Yuan on 29 May 2019 filming for the upcoming series with a focus on Chinese outdoor aesthetic.

20 A Lan Yuan Advisory Board Meeting will be held on 10 June 2019.

21 Planning is underway for the Qu Yuan family fun day event scheduled for 8 June 2019.

22 The logo for the Garden has been refreshed and is being included in new marketing collateral from May 2019. The logo emphasises the name Lan Yuan and removes confusion between the visual identities of the Garden and the Dunedin Chinese Garden Trust.

OPTIONS

23 There are no options as this report is for information only.

NEXT STEPS

24 There are no next steps as this report is for information only.

Signatories

Author:

Cam McCracken - Dunedin Public Art Gallery Director

Authoriser:

Nick Dixon - Group Manager Ara Toi

Simon Pickford - General Manager Community Services

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS

Fit with purpose of Local Government

This report promotes the cultural well-being of communities in the present and for the future.

Fit with strategic framework

	Contributes	Detracts	Not applicable
Social Wellbeing Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Economic Development Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Environment Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Arts and Culture Strategy	☒	☐	☐
3 Waters Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Spatial Plan	☐	☐	☒
Integrated Transport Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Parks and Recreation Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Other strategic projects/policies/plans	☒	☐	☐

The activities in this report support the Arts and Culture, Economic Development and Social Wellbeing Strategies.

Māori Impact Statement

There are no known impacts for tangata whenua. The Museum consults with and works closely with the Kāi Tahu Advisory Group.

Sustainability

No implications although the principles of sustainability under pins all of the activity of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum and Lan Yuan the Dunedin Chinese Garden.

LTP/Annual Plan / Financial Strategy /Infrastructure Strategy

This report is for noting purposes only.

Financial considerations

This report is for noting purposes only.

Significance

In terms of the Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy, the matters in this report are deemed to be of low significance.

Engagement – external

This report is for noting purposes only.

Engagement - internal

This report is for noting purposes only.

Risks: Legal / Health and Safety etc.

There are no legal or health and safety risks related to matters in this report.

Conflict of Interest

There are no known conflicts of interest.

Community Boards

There are no known specific implications for Community Boards.

	Title	Page
⇩a	Declaration of Interest	7

	Title	Page
A ⇩	Minutes of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board meeting held on 3 April 2019	12

Chairperson	Mr Phil Dowsett

Members	Cr Rachel Elder	Cr Doug Hall
	Cr Aaron Hawkins	Mrs Susan Schweigman
	Peter Smith