Notice of Meeting:

I hereby give notice that an ordinary meeting of the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board will be held on:

 

Date:                                               Wednesday 22 November 2023

Time:                                               9:30am

Venue:                                            Otago Settlers Association Board Room, Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, 31 Queens Gardens, Dunedin

 

Sandy Graham

Chief Executive Officer

 

Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

PUBLIC AGENDA

 

MEMBERSHIP

 

Chairperson

Mr Phil Dowsett

 

Deputy Chairperson

 

 

Members

Cr Bill Acklin

Cr Kevin Gilbert

 

Cr Cherry Lucas

Mrs Susan Schweigman

 

Mr Peter Smith

 

 

Senior Officer                                           Cam McCracken, Director - Dpag, Toitū, Lan Yuan and Olveston

 

Governance Support Officer                 Lauren Riddle

 

 

 

Lauren Riddle

Governance Support Officer

 

 

Telephone: 03 477 4000

governance.support@dcc.govt.nz

www.dunedin.govt.nz

 

 

 

Note: Reports and recommendations contained in this agenda are not to be considered as Council policy until adopted.

 

 


Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

22 November 2023

 

 

ITEM TABLE OF CONTENTS                                                                             PAGE

 

1            Apologies                                                                                                      4

2            Confirmation of Agenda                                                                            4

3            Declaration of Interest                                                                               5

4            Confirmation of Minutes                                                                           8

4.1      Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board meeting - 23 August 2023           8

Reports

5            Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Activity Report                                     12

6            Deaccession Report                                                                                  19

 


Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

22 November 2023

 

 

1         Apologies

At the close of the agenda no apologies had been received.

2         Confirmation of agenda

Note: Any additions must be approved by resolution with an explanation as to why they cannot be delayed until a future meeting.


Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

22 November 2023

 

Declaration of Interests

 

 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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

 

2.        Elected and Independent Members are reminded to update their register of interests as soon as practicable, including amending the register at this meeting if necessary.

 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Board:

a)     Notes/Amends if necessary the Elected or Independent Members' Interest Register attached as Attachment A; and

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

 

 

Attachments

 

Title

Page

a

Register of Interest - November 2023

6

 

 


Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

22 November 2023

 


 


Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

22 November 2023

 

Confirmation of Minutes

Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board meeting - 23 August 2023

 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Committee:

a)        Confirms the public part of the minutes of the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board meeting held on 23 August 2023 as a correct record.

 

 

Attachments

 

Title

Page

A

Minutes of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board meeting  held on 23 August 2023

9

 

 


Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

22 November 2023

 

 

 

Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

MINUTES

 

Minutes of an ordinary meeting of the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board held in the Otago Settlers Association Board Room, Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, 31 Queens Gardens, Dunedin on Wednesday 23 August 2023, commencing at 9:00 am.

 

PRESENT

 

Chairperson

Phil Dowsett

 

Members

Cr Kevin Gilbert

Susan Schweigman

 

Peter Smith

 

 

IN ATTENDANCE

Cam McCracken (Director – DPAG, Toitū, Lan Yuan and Olveston)

 

Governance Support Officer                 Lauren Riddle

 

 

  

The Chairperson welcomed attendees to the meeting.

 

1         Apologies

Apologies were received from Cr Cherry Lucas and Cr Bill Acklin.

 

           Moved (Mr Phil Dowsett/Mr Peter Smith):

           That the Committee:

 

Accepts the apologies from Cr Cherry Lucas and Cr Bill Acklin.

 

           Motion carried

 

2         Confirmation of agenda

 

 

Moved (Mr Phil Dowsett/Mrs Susan Schweigman):

That the Committee:

 

Confirms the agenda without addition or alteration.

 

Motion carried

 

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.

 

Mr Smith advised he was to be recorded as the Past President for the Otago Settles Association and to remove his name as Trustee and Secretary to the Dunedin East Rotary Charitable Trust as the Trust was no longer in existence.

 

 

Moved (Mr Phil Dowsett/Cr Kevin Gilbert):

That the Committee:

a)        Amends the Elected or Independent Members' Interest Register; and

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

                       Motion carried

 

4         Confirmation of Minutes

4.1      Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board meeting - 17 May 2023

 

Moved (Mr Phil Dowsett/Mr Peter Smith):

That the Committee:

Confirms the minutes of the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board meeting held

on 17 May 2023 as a correct record.

Motion carried

Reports

5         Toitū Otago Settlers Museum and Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden Activity Report

 

The report from Arts and Culture covered activities of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum (Toitū) and Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden (Lan Yuan) from 1 April to 30 June 2023. 

 

Mr Dowsett (Chairperson) advised that while the information on the Lan Yuan Chinese Gardens was informative to the Committee it was not required to be provided as part of the report for the Committee to note.

 

Cam McCracken spoke to the report and advised that museum visitor numbers were on target to reach 250,000 and that the numbers appeared to be returning to numbers from pre Covid with the help of the visitor number from cruise ships.

 

Discussion was held, including on the following sections of the report:

 

Journey to New Edinburgh

Cam McCracken advised that the feature film has been a highlight to visitors and very successful over the past few months with the next chapter of the story set to be released.

 

 

Digitisation

Cam McCracken advised that the service has been in high demand by researchers and that the digitisation and searchable sets of the Otago Early Settlers meeting minutes had been completed, and seen as a useful resource.

 

Hazardous materials protocols

Cam McCracken advised he would circulate an updated plan with the hazardous material items highlighted for members.

 

Collections Policy and Collecting Planning

Cam McCracken advised it is intended to bring an update to the November 2023 meeting on the Collections Planning and Policy.

 

Visitors programmes

ANZAC Day commemorations – Phil Dowsett advised that it was hoped that the Board would be able to provide more support for the 2024 commemorations, such as use of the Board’s rooms at Toitū.

 

Commercial Activity

Theatrette - Cam McCracken provided a verbal update on the plans for establishing a small capacity theatre at Toitū to show short films highlighting early history and information featured at Toitū, the Public Art Gallery, etc.  A further update will be provided to the November meeting.

 

Otago Anniversary Day dinner celebration – Members expressed their desire to see this event return to the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum site.

 

 

Moved (Mr Phil Dowsett/Cr Kevin Gilbert):

That the Committee:

 

Notes the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Report for the period 1 April to 30 June 2023. 

           Motion carried

 

The meeting concluded at 9:26 am.

 

 

 

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

CHAIRPERSON

 


Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

22 November 2023

 

Reports

 

Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Activity Report

Department: Arts and Culture

 

 

 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1         This report covers activities of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum (Toitū) from 1 July to 30           September 2023. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

 

That the Board:

a)     Notes the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Activity Report for the period 1 July to 30 September 2023. 

 

BACKGROUND

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

DISCUSSION

Visitation

3         Toitū recorded just over 47,000 visitors in this reporting period, representing a 19% increase compared with the same period in FY 22/23.

 

COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS

Exhibitions

4         Toitū has been part of a city-wide project to celebrate the cultural philanthropy of the Hallenstein family.  The Hallenstein Legacy 1863-2023 is a collaborative project inviting visitors to take a walking tour around seven cultural institutions of Dunedin – Tuhura Otago Museum, the Hocken Library, University of Otago Library Special Collections, Olveston Historic Home, Dunedin Central Library, the Art Gallery and Toitū. The self-guided tour also includes several buildings related to the Hallenstein story.

5         As part of the Hallenstein Legacy, the team have refreshed the First Great City display to include materials from the Hallenstein Brothers and D.I.C. stories.

6         Work has continued on the new NZR Transport and Technology Display in the southern ‘garage’ end of the Museum. The refreshed displays will open to the public on 30th November 2023.

7         The team are also preparing for the annual Pixie Town display, which forms a big part of the Toitū Christmas visitor experience each December.

8         A new community case will be installed in the Research Centre this October and November, featuring the history of the Otago Rowing Club which is celebrating its 150th anniversary.

Journey to New Edinburgh

9         A full-length version of Journey to New Edinburgh, with captions, will continue to screen in the Research Centre until early December. We also continue to release our short films which focus on the stories of specific settler families. These are currently available on the Toitū YouTube channel and will eventually be incorporated in the permanent displays across the New Edinburgh and First Great City stories.

Digital Outputs and Public Talks

10       As part of Josephine’s birthday this year, the Museum has launched a selection of railway themed images drawn from the Emerson and Rockliff collections. Initially these will be available only at the Toitū Research Centre but will eventually become part of our online offering.

11       Curator, Pete Read has compiled an additional two episodes of Talking Pictures which have been released on the Toitū YouTube channel.

12       Toitū contributed an article for the Cool and Collected series in the Otago Daily Times in this quarter.

13       Team members delivered six public talks.

Collections

Support of Exhibitions Projects

14       The Collections team have provided a significant amount of support in preparing objects for the Transport and Technology refresh and the update to First Great City displays.

Collections Projects

Vernon Content Management System

15       The system has undergone upgrades and some changes and staff have received updated training on administration of the system.

Asbestos

16       As previously reported, and as part of our continuous work programme to identify hazards in collections, the team has tested items known to contain asbestos. Historically, asbestos was utilised in the production of various items, such as Bakelite, flooring materials, and products requiring heat resistance. Through this investigation we have discovered certain collections have also been contaminated with asbestos-containing dust. 

17       To ensure compliance with safety protocols and requirements, access to storage facilities with contaminated collections has been restricted, limiting our ability to make progress on collection-related work. Currently, we are in the process of developing a methodology to identify and address these storage areas to allow us to continue our work on various collection projects.

Firearms

18       New compliant storage has been installed in the collections storage area to accommodate the Museums small holding of firearms.

Conservation

19       The Conservator has treated 120 objects for the upcoming Transport and Technology display refresh. Other conservation work includes updating the use of wireless climate monitoring systems and ongoing pest management, including cleaning displays and back of house areas.

Donations

20       Work is ongoing to review the Collections policy and Collecting plan to ensure our collecting is sustainable and fit for purpose.

Archive Statistics

21       Staff processed 74 written public enquiries and 14 telephone enquiries during the reporting period.

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

Enriching Local Curriculum (ELC) – Education

22       The Toitū education programme continues to be popular with local schools, kura and early childhood providers.

23       Education programme themes covered during this reporting period include; changing modes of transport through time, investigating migration to New Zealand before 1900 with specific assignments to research, a question-and-answer session with curator Séan Brosnahan and a session on Primary Sources with Jenny Chen in the Archives, the ANZACs, goldrush and Chinese experiences of migration, transport and local migration stories, early Māori migration, Sealers and Whalers and mass British Immigration, the effects of British colonisation on Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi were a focus for secondary school visits. While at Lan Yuan ākonga focused on investigating the significance of dragons in Chinese culture. 

Visitor Programmes

24       Toitū has offered a variety of self-guided gallery trails, public talks, workshops, demonstrations and performances during this reporting period including:

25       Regular fortnightly or monthly community demonstrations by the Dunedin Spinners and Weavers Guild. These include opportunities to observe (and try) knitting and crocheting. The Tapestry Project also holds regular demonstrations in the Josephine Foyer.

26       Toddler Time incorporating a short museum engagement session for our youngest visitors with stories, exploration, songs and activities linking to a monthly theme, the monthly Josephine Mini-Bal dance sessions and weekly Sunday afternoon Dancing with Josephine which sees a new dance style being taught each week.

27       The regular public talks and Tuesday Talks have welcomed Honorary Associate Professor Daphne Lee, of the University of Otago speaking on Foulden Maar, Otago Access Radio’s Jeff Harford spoke to the history of the community-based radio station as it enters a new chapter and major upgrade in their new Princes Street premises, and Catherine Hammond from The Hocken Library shared stories of her time in the arts and cultural sector and some of her favourite items in the collection.

28       The new Migration to Otago series featured talks by several senior academics from the University of Otago. Professor Angela McCarthy and Professor Angela Wanhalla, (Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki, Ngāi Tahu) spoke about Otago’s connections to Transatlantic Slavery. Dr Ashraful Alam, spoke about migration to small towns in Otago, and Professor Hallie Buckley spoke about Otago goldminer migration.

29       Toitū Sounds is an ongoing programme of live music at the Museum and this reporting period included local performers Leigham Fitzpatrick, Emma Wells, Jared Smith and Jo Little. The Dunedin Rock Choir performed as part of their 7th birthday celebrations, and the Museum also hosted Titiksha – a dance and textile art performance celebrating the Indian community and their journey in migration to New Zealand. 

30       As part of Ōtepoti Dunedin’s Puaka Matariki festival, Toitū visitors were invited to use a Maramataka or Star Trail to navigate through the Museum to discover of information about the Māori lunar calendar and the stars in the Matariki star cluster. In the July school holiday period we offered hands-on workshops for children to decorate their own constellation themed cake popsicle, and there was an evening viewing of the film Whina.

Commercial Activity

31       During the reporting period, Toitū retailing achieved an increase of 33% compared with the same period last year. This is a continuation of the positive trend from the previous quarter. 

32       The Commercial Manager attended the New Zealand Gift Fair in late August purchasing many New Zealand designed and made brands for the Toitū shop. Local merchandise continues to sell well in the current difficult market, and our improved selection is proving popular with both the local and tourist market.

33       The Commercial team is developing new ranges for the Toitū shop, including apparel and homeware. Delivery of the new range is timed to coincide with the reopening of the Technology and Transport gallery.

34       The first quarter is traditionally a slow time for functions. There have been many repeat clients which suggests they are happy with Toitū as a preferred venue for their functions.  The Burnside boardroom has been an excellent addition to our venue hire spaces – it is well used by both internal and external groups. 

35       As well as being a welcome new visitor attraction, the new Technology and Transport Gallery will also be offered as a new commercial venue hire space from 2024.

OPTIONS

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

NEXT STEPS

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

 

Signatories

Author:

Cam McCracken - Director DPAG, Toitū, Lan Yuan and Olveston

Authoriser:

Jeanette Wikaira - General Manager Community Services (Acting)

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS

Fit with purpose of Local Government

This decision 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

The Museum consults with and works with the Ngāi Tahu Advisory Group as well as Rūnaka on a regular basis.

Sustainability

The principles of sustainability underpin all the activity of Toitū and Lan Yuan.

LTP/Annual Plan / Financial Strategy / Infrastructure Strategy

This report is for noting purposes only.

Financial considerations

This report is for noting purposes only.

Significance

This decision is considered low in terms of the Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy.

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 implications for Community Boards.

 


Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

22 November 2023

 

 

Deaccession Report

Department: Ara Toi

 

 

 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1         The purpose of this report is to seek endorsement from the Museum Board for the decision by the Museum Director to deaccession two items from the Toitū Otago Museum collection. 

2         The Toitū Collections Policy provides a framework for acquiring, caring for and, when required, disposing of collection items.

3         In accordance with the Policy, assessments have been made of the Takapuna DCT No 66 and Sydney Bogie tram vehicles based on their significance, condition, ongoing storage needs and overall status within the context of the wider Toitū transport collection holding. Following this assessment, the following items have been selected for deaccession, with ownership transferring to the Tramways Historical Society Inc. in Christchurch:

a)        Takapuna DCT No. 66 tram, CS/3655

b)       Sydney Bogie tram, 1995/92/1

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Board:

 

a)        Endorse the Director’s decision to deaccession the following items from the Toitū collection and dispose of the items to the Tramways Historical Society Inc., in accordance with the Toitū Collections Policy:

I.         Takapuna DCT No. 66 tram, CS/3655

II.        Sydney Bogie tram, 1995/92/1

 

BACKGROUND

4         The Toitū Collection Management Policy (the Policy) was adopted in 2006 and most recently revised in 2020. This revision was adopted by the Board in February 2021. The Policy provides a framework for the professional management and care of the Toitū collection.

5         Section 11 of the Policy provides updated guidance on deaccession and disposal of collection items. It makes it clear that deaccession and disposal is good museum practice and an established collection management tool for ensuring the continuing quality and relevance of a collection. It also requires the establishment of legal title, the support of an expert report where appropriate and sets out the issues relevant to questions and process of disposal which include: conservation needs, storage space, resource to maintain the object, similar works in the collection. It also provides guidance which favours disposal options which allow items to stay in public ownership.

6         The Toitū collection includes a holding of transport artifacts related to Dunedin, encompassing various vehicles including restored cars, buses, horse drawn vehicles, motorbikes, a cable car and the Roslyn tram.  

7         The transport collection also includes the Sydney Bogie tram and Takapuna DCT No. 66 tram, both integral parts of the Dunedin tramway network from the early 1920s and 1930s, respectively, until the network's decommissioning in the mid-1950s. These trams were donated to the Otago Settlers Museum in the mid-1990s in weathered, pre-restoration condition. Since then, they have been stored in the Museum's facilities, preventing further deterioration.

DISCUSSION

8         Following the approval of the updated Policy, the Museum Director requested assessments to determine the significance and condition of the Sydney Bogie and Takapuna DCT No. 66 trams. These assessments aimed to evaluate the potential and likelihood of future restoration, and therefore ongoing viability of ownership.

9         To this end, reports have been prepared by Toitū staff setting out the legal ownership, history in the collection and an assessment of significance of both the Takapuna DCT No. 66 tram and the Sydney Bogie tram. These are appended to this report as Attachments A and B.

10       An assessment report from the Tramway Historical Society Inc. commissioned by Toitū in 2000 is also included as Attachment C.  This assessment includes expert opinion regarding the limited viability of restoring the Sydney Bogie, and some practical difficulties associated with the Takapuna restoration.

11       The reports confirm, as stipulated in sections 11.1 – 11.5 of the Policy, that the Museum is the legal owner of both trams, providing details about the history of acquisition for each. Additionally, the information highlights an initial plan for collaboration between the Museum and the Tramways Historical Society Inc regarding the restoration or other potential future use of the trams.

12       At present Toitū does not have the funding required to restore the Takapuna DCT No 66 tram, and the Museum also lacks the in-house specialist skills or time required for the restoration task. Even if restoration was viable, Toitū does not have the space to include the Takapuna DCT No. 66 tram into its existing museum displays. It is worth noting, the Museum already has two other smaller restored Dunedin trams in its collection, both of which are on display.

13       The Tramways Historical Society Inc. have indicated recently that in accordance with their report in 2000 they are now able to take both trams into their collection. They propose to fully restore the Takapuna DCT No 66. In the case of the Sydney Bogie, the proposal is to carry out a survey of the tram to facilitate and support pattern making and to salvage parts from the tram for future restorations.

14       This proposal ensures the Takapuna DCT NO 66 remains in the public domain for the ultimate benefit and enjoyment of the community. The Sydney Bogie will contribute to the future restoration of other trams. There are no other conditions on disposal attached to the Trams and the proposed approach is in accordance with the Policy and Museum best practice standards for deaccession and disposal.

OPTIONS

15       Not applicable.

NEXT STEPS

16       The Museum Board endorses the Director’s decision to deaccession the Takapuna DCT No. 66 tram, CS/3655 and dispose / transfer ownership to the Tramways Historical Society Inc.

17       The Museum Board endorses the Director’s decision to deaccession the Sydney Bogie tram, 1995/92/1 and dispose / transfer ownership to the Tramways Historical Society Inc.

Signatories

Author:

Jane Macknight - Exhibitions and Collections Manager - Toitu/Lan Yuan

Authoriser:

Cam McCracken - Director DPAG, Toitū, Lan Yuan and Olveston

Jeanette Wikaira - General Manager Community Services (Acting)

Attachments

 

Title

Page

a

Report on Takapuna DCT No 66 tram

24

b

Report on Sydney Bogie Tram

27

c

Tramways Historical Society Report on Trams 2000

33

 


 

SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS

 

Fit with purpose of Local Government

This decision 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

Māori Impact Statement

There are no known impacts for Māori.

Sustainability

 

LTP/Annual Plan / Financial Strategy /Infrastructure Strategy

There are no implications.

Financial considerations

There are no financial implications.

Significance

This decision is not considered significant in terms of the Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy. The ultimate aim of the process will result in an overall beneficial effect through reducing the stress on storage and conservation resources at Toitū. The public will ultimately have access to the Takapuna DCT No. 66 tram at the Ferrymead Heritage park in Christchurch, following its preservation by the Tramway Historic Society. 

Engagement – external

There has been engagement with the external parties referred to in the report.

Engagement - internal

There has been engagement within the Culture, Arts and Recreation Services Group.

Risks: Legal / Health and Safety etc.

There are no identified risks.

Conflict of Interest

There is no known conflict of interest.

Community Boards

There are no known implications for Community Boards.

 

 


Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

22 November 2023

 




Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

22 November 2023

 







Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board

22 November 2023