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Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board
27 September 2021
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Reports
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum and Lan Yuan
Dunedin Chinese Garden Activity Report
Department: Dunedin Public Art Gallery
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1 This
report covers activities of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum (TOSM) and Lan
Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden (Lan Yuan DCG) from 1 April 2021 to 30 June 2021.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Board:
Notes
the Toitū Otago
Settlers Museum and Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden Activity Report for the
period 1 April 2021 to 30 June 2021.
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BACKGROUND
2 This
report is written for the TOSM Board Meeting and details the latest activities
and KPI performance at TOSM and Lan Yuan DCG.
DISCUSSION
Visitors
3 There
were 55,671 visitors
to TOSM during the April 2021 to June 2021 reporting period, the busiest quarter in the 2020/21
financial year. It is difficult to compare
to the corresponding period last year given the closures in 2020 due to COVID.
April had strong numbers due to Easter,
the School Holidays and ANZAC weekend.
4 Lan
Yuan DCG had 6,973 visitors during the current reporting period. Comparisons are difficult to make with the
same quarter last year due to the 2020 COVID disruptions. Total
visitation for 2020/21 has been down on the previous year given the total
absence of international visitors. In 2019/20 we traded for 7 months in a
pre-COVID business environment.
Visitor
Experience
Exhibitions
1865 Panorama
5 An
11-metre long photomural featuring a 360-degree panoramic view of Dunedin in
1865 has been installed in the NZR
Garage ‘Bullnose’ space at the southern end of the Museum. Featuring
a remarkable level of detail, the
panorama has proved popular with visitors
interested in the changing Dunedin
cityscape.
Gallery Refreshes
6 Material
Culture Gallery update
- A project
to update and refresh this display with a selection
of objects from the
extensive costume collection of wedding apparel (dating from the 1860s) is currently underway, with the aim of installing the new exhibition for summer 2022.
7 Work
continues on the ‘Ten-year exhibition and display refresh and
update’ project. The team is developing a strategic approach to a refresh
roll out over a period of 24-36 months.
Learning Experiences
outside the Classroom (LEOTC)
8 During this reporting period, 1,702 primary and 234
secondary students participated in LEOTC programmes
at Toitū and Lan Yuan DCG during the April to June period.
9 In
keeping with the Government’s plans for
a new, more localised history curriculum, there is a clear trend in schools
wanting programmes with a strong New Zealand history focus. Toitū programmes are ideally
placed for this with all exhibitions, collections and programmes focusing
on local Dunedin
and Otago stories.
10 The
Toitū team were invited to present workshops for local teachers at a
professional development seminar organised by the University of Otago on the
Museum as a resource for New Zealand
histories learning. Supported by the
Toitū curators and Archivist, our educator gave attendees an overview of
the Toitū narrative, programmes, and provided them with a Toitū New
Zealand history timeline
planning tool.
11 Feedback from teachers was very positive and the timeline
will be sent to all local schools with an
invite for teaching staff to visit for afternoon tea and a New Zealand history
planning workshop.
12 Sophie
Watson from NZCER, our LEOTC service’s
monitor, visited in late June to evaluate the
programme. She noted in her report:
“Toitū programmes
are known for their interactivity and use of drama. The programmes also use a
range of technologies and draw on the rich resources available at the museum.
Feedback provided by school staff and students illustrate the impact on student
learning and value that schools place on Toitū programmes.”
Sophie Watson
Public
Programmes
13 The
April to
June period encompassed the school
holidays and saw Toitū once again participating in the Wild Dunedin Festival
of Nature. A variety of events were on offer including the Treasures of Tane public talk, Wild Sticks interactive
craft workshop for kids, and the extremely successful children’s singing show with entertainer Suzy Cato which
alone attracted approximately 700 attendees.
14 The
Visitor Programmes team facilitated and hosted the annual Anzac Day refreshments following the dawn service at
the Dunedin Cenotaph; an estimated
400 people joined
us in the Josephine Foyer. Members of the OSA and City
Councillors assisted us in providing hot drinks for visitors.
15 In May,
New Zealand Music Month was marked with a variety of local musicians performing
in non-traditional spaces in the galleries
each week including the Roslyn Tram and in the RNZ Garage. This new approach was well received by the public
and will be continued in 2022.
16 A highlight of June was Bittersweet, seven days of live performances showcasing the re-creation of light-hearted actual stories of former female Cadbury
workers was attended by a wide demographic of audience members.
17 This
reporting period also included our regular public
offerings including Harakeke
Weaving, the Luck
of the Irish lecture series and the weekly Tapestry Project.
Collections
and Exhibitions
18 Ministry
of Culture and Heritage Innovation Fund – A team led by the Director and supported by exhibitions
staff attended an innovation and funding workshop in Christchurch in June,
leading to the submission of a funding
business case in support of a proposal for a commercial pay-for experience at Toitū. The outcome of this
application is due in late September.
19 A
project is underway with the Dunedin Fire Brigade Restoration Society (DFBRS)
to look at a long term loan of a 1954 Dennis
fire appliance for display in the Transport Gallery for display before Christmas, timed to coincide with a
planned open day celebrating the
DFBRS 50th anniversary to be held at Toitū later in the year. The Fire Dept Land Rover
is being prepared for transfer of ownership to the DFBRS.
20 Hazardous
Substances in collections – Phase one of this project has been completed
with new collections storage
signage and a roll out of training
for staff. Phase
two has commenced with a store audit of chemical substances working
with Otago University. As part of this work, Picric
acid was discovered in a military first aid kit we held in the Collection. This
has been safely disposed of by the Ministry of Defence.
21 IPM
(Integrated Pest Management) – The collections
team have been working closely with Operations and Property to refine the new
pest contract with Rentokil.
22 Journey
to New Edinburgh Film Project –
Exhibitions staff have been continuing with the creation
of locally based content to support
this documentary which will share the fascinating stories of the early
Scottish settlers to Ōtepoti
Dunedin.
Archive Statistics
23 Staff processed 117 written
archive-related public enquiries as well as 16 physical/telephone enquiries.
Commercial
Activity
24 Retail
sales finished positively at Toitū with revenue being 20% over target for
the 20/21 financial year.
25 Over
the reporting period behind the scenes work has been completed on our
Toitū webshop and this is now
open for online purchasing. The focus is on books and inhouse publications however
the webshop also features some of our best
sellers from the physical store.
26 Functions
and Events at Toitū experienced
steady bookings between April 1 – June 30 as we were in COVID-19 level 1 which enables groups to come together
with ease. We developed the Burnside Boardroom in the Burns building
at Toitū. This is new venue space
suited to groups
of 20 pax and below, perfect
for a casual away-day or board meeting. This venue is almost ready for promotion and is
suitable for both internal and external clients.
27 The
Lan Yuan DCG retail shop had steady sales right up until 30 June. Although a
quieter time for Lan Yuan in terms of
visitors we still achieved excellent sales of our Chinese Tea and Dumplings/Buns. After expecting Lan Yuan
to be very quiet without international visitors
we have been pleasantly surprised with the visitation. Our food and beverage
and shop sales are comparable with a
pre-COVID year.
Lan
Yuan DCG
28 The
annual Legend of Qu Yuan family fun day
event took place on Sunday 13 June. An estimated 150 people participated throughout the day in the
various activities including stories behind
the Dragon Boat Festival, eating zongzi –
traditional Chinese sticky
rice dumplings, finding
the hidden ox, taking part in a tangyuan cooking class, games and calligraphy.
OPTIONS
29 There
are no options as this report is for information only.
NEXT STEPS
30 There
are no next steps as this report is for information only.
Signatories
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Author:
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Chris Snow - Operations Manager
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Authoriser:
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Cam McCracken - Director DPAG, Toitū, Lan Yuan and
Olveston
Simon Pickford - General Manager Community Services
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Attachments
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Title
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Page
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⇩a
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Toitū Otago
Settlers Museum Board Delegations 2019-22
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21
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SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS
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Fit with purpose of Local Government
This decision promotes
the cultural well-being of communities in the present and for the future.
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Fit with strategic framework
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Contributes
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Detracts
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Not applicable
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Social Wellbeing Strategy
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☒
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☐
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☐
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Economic Development
Strategy
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☒
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☐
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☐
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Environment Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☒
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Arts and Culture Strategy
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☒
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☐
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☐
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3 Waters Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☒
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Spatial Plan
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☐
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☐
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☒
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Integrated Transport
Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☒
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Parks and Recreation
Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☒
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Other strategic
projects/policies/plans
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☒
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☐
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☐
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The activities in this
report support the Arts and Culture, Economic Development and Social
Wellbeing Strategies.
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Māori Impact Statement
There are no
known impacts for tangata whenua. The Museum consults with and works
with the Ngāi Tahu Advisory Group.
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Sustainability
No implications
although the principles of sustainability under pins all the activity of
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum and Lan Yuan the Dunedin Chinese Garden.
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LTP/Annual Plan / Financial Strategy /Infrastructure
Strategy
This report is
for noting purposes only.
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Financial considerations
This report is
for noting purposes only.
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Significance
In terms of the
Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy, the matters in this
report are deemed to be of low significance.
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Engagement – external
This report is for
noting purposes only.
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Engagement - internal
This report is
for noting purposes only.
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Risks: Legal / Health and Safety etc.
There are no
legal or health and safety risks related to matters in this report.
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Conflict of Interest
There are no
known conflicts of interest.
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Community Boards
There are no
known specific implications for Community Boards.
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