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Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Board
26 August 2026
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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 April 2026 to 30 June 2026.
Key highlights of this quarter include:
· Annual visitation
of 352,319 visitors, exceeding target by 102,319 visitors and increasing 17% on
FY2024/25.
· Quarterly
visitation of 80,330 visitors, representing a 37% increase on the same period
last year.
· Continued
development of major exhibition projects, including Te Awa: River of Many
Journeys and updates to Dunedin Sound.
· Ongoing delivery
of public programmes, education activities, and audience engagement
initiatives.
· Growth in venue
hire activity and additional revenue from the Museum's recently granted liquor
licence.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Committee:
a) Notes the Toitū
Otago Settlers Museum Activity Report for the period 1 April 2026 to 30 June
2026
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 80,330 visitors in this reporting period, representing a 37% increase
compared with the same period in FY 24/25. This is a pleasing result
considering the slight decline in visitor numbers that can occur in the
shoulder to low season.
4 The
final visitation number for FY 2025/26 is 352,319 which is a 17% increase on
the previous year and is 102,319 above our annual visitation target. The
notable increase against previous years is through the summer, Christmas and
cruise ship periods.
collections and exhibitions
Exhibitions
Temporary displays continuing
5 The
CRAFT, a display about freemasonry in Dunedin, continues in the Transport
and Technology gallery.
6 DANCE!,
which tells the story of Shona Dunlop MacTavish MBE (1920-2019) dancer,
teacher, choreographer, continues in the Creative Dunedin space into 2027. A
number of dance programmes, linking to this exhibition, have and continue to be
held at Toitū.
7 1925-26
SHOW TIME commemorating the 1925-1926 New Zealand and South Seas International
Exhibition continues in the Twentieth Century galleries.
8 Eden
in Dunedin: Highlights from the Eden Hore Central Otago Fashion collection continues
in the Material Culture gallery. Staff are currently in the process of
selecting a dozen new costumes to refresh this display as part of its extended
run into 2028.
Upcoming displays
9 Te
Awa: River of Many Journeys Toitū’s new immersive ticketed
experience is set to launch on 28th August 2026.
10 Dunedin
Sound: We will be installing phase one of this update in the Twentieth
Century Galleries during the week of 19 August 2026.
11 In
Christmas 2026 Pixie Town will be staged in the southern end of the
temporary gallery, within the transport and technology galleries. This will
ease congestion in the Josephine Foyer and allow more space for commercial
activities.
Maintenance of permanent exhibits
12 General
display updates: The Exhibitions and Collections team continuously maintain
the quality of the permanent exhibits at Toitū. Staff have completed an
array of painting upgrades to public spaces. Staff are progressing work on
updates to New Edinburgh and Gold displays, as resources allow.
13 Flood
in Twentieth Century: On 5 July collections staff responded to a water
damage caused by a roof leak above a back of house area, which then spread into
the adjacent galleries. No collection items were affected and been no lasting
damage to the exhibition furniture. The affected exhibition space was closed to
the public for several days to allow for the drying process.
Permanent exhibition updates
14 Smith
Gallery: Staff continue to make progress on the Portrait database. The
stage one goal is to create a single, authoritative catalogue record in our
Vernon CMS for the portraits on display which will include full biographies
and, where available, a link to scenes in the Journey to New Edinburgh film
featuring those individuals. These portraits will also be included in our
collections online launch in 2027.
Audience feedback
15 Some sample
feedback we have received over the reporting period includes:
· “Love
Toitu! Never fails to deliver! Such an asset.” Anonymous visitor
· “VERY
COOL! Didn’t expect it to be so BIG. Loved the car and clothing section.
Will come again!” Visitor from New Plymouth
· “Toitu is
so incredible, very enjoyable with such an interesting experience and objects!
It really reflects the history here.” Visitor from Dunedin
· “Amazing
History. Well told. Love this little Museum. Third time I have been visiting
from Whangarei.” Visitor from Whangarei
· “This
museum was really cool. We had fun while learning. Thank you so much.” Visitors
from Canada and Catalunya
Digital outputs and public talks
16 Peter Read
created Talking Pictures episodes 75 through 77. Episodes 75 and 76 were
about Scottish photographer and portrait painter John Horsbrugh. Episode 77
explored the story behind an artwork in the Toitū collection signed M B
Raynbird, 1889. These are all viewable on the Toitū YouTube channel.
17 One ODT Cool
and Collected article was published: ‘A whip’s circuitous
journey’ by Seán Brosnahan on 25 April, A
whip’s circuitous journey
18 One talk
was delivered by Pete Read, Curator: ‘Show Ponies’ for the opening
of the Carriage House at the Roger Mahan Heritage Centre in Geraldine on 2 May.
19 Two talks
were delivered by Seán Brosnahan, Curator:
· ‘Designing
Exhibitions’, to Year 9 students at Logan Park High School, 1 May.
· ‘Building
and Rebuilding Dunedin’, to U3A Dunedin, 28 May.
Collections
Acquisitions
20 During this
reporting period, 53 donation groups were accepted into the collection.
Highlights include material supporting our Creative Dunedin collecting area,
particularly relating to the Dunedin Sound; an 1865 New Zealand Exhibition coin
produced for Governor Sir George Grey and inscribed "Absent"
following his failure to attend; photographs of the Road Services Bus Station
prior to the Toitū redevelopment; and a substantial collection of Greggs
factory material documenting coffee, herbs, jelly and other product lines
produced in Dunedin over the past 30 to 50 years.
Collections projects
21 Exonumia
(medals and badges): We have completed rehousing and auditing these (and
our jewellery) collections from the old strong room into secure locked storage
within the main collection storage area.
Archives
22 Our Outreach
database records 22 separate public enquiries. This appears to be incorrect and
we are currently working with Outreach to assess if the reporting tool is
working accurately. The recording also does not reflect the time spent on an
enquiry or whether it included a personal visit to view an object/item on site
– some can take several hours to complete and the most basic takes
approximately half an hour. The team has been sharing these across four staff
– the Manager and two Curators, (and now the Registrar) with the Manager
processing the majority of the enquiries.
23 Review
of Archive: We completed an extensive review of the Archive collection,
with the aim of identifying priorities for digital access, based upon an
analysis of user needs. We are currently scoping out and costing digitisation
and assessing staff resourcing capacity for this project.
Sector Engagement and Support
24 We continue
to be involved with ongoing professional development through National Services
Te Paerangi at Te Papa. Where possible we support local and smaller museum organisations
through the provision of advice and equipment.
25 Two staff
members attended the CTANZ (Costume and Textile Aotearoa NZ) symposium in
Whanganui in May.
audience development
Enriching Local Curriculum (ELC) – Education
26 Themes explored
through Toitū’s education programme during this reporting period
included migration to New Zealand, WW1 and Anzac Day, simple machines and their
history and what they look like now, early Māori voyaging to New Zealand,
general museum exploration, the gold rush, conflict, the change over the 20th
Century with an emphasis on food, food production, cooking of food, and how the
change occurred with the use of technology, kai tahu narratives, the Toitū
Stream and early Māori use of the stream, secondary school students using
the museum and costumes for early 1800s and 1940s drama scenes, and different
modes of transport that the settlers/Māori had and how this evolved
overtime.
27 Education
staff also facilitated a visit for 100 ākonga as part of their school
holiday programme, and a group of third year university students for their
Local Curriculum and Integration paper focusing on drama.
Visitor Programmes
28 In addition
to the broad range of programmes and events delivered during this reporting
period, three significant areas of focus included Toitū Remembers, in
recognition of Anzac Day, International Museum Day, and an always vibrant
school holiday period.
29 Following the
Queen’s Gardens dawn service on Anzac Day, Toitū again hosted
approximately 600 people for tea, coffee, and Anzac biscuits, followed by a
performance by the Red Cross Choir at 10am.
30 The Museum
wide celebration on International Museum Day consisted of a weekend family fun
day featuring balloon artist Pippity Pop, a talk and guided tour of Eden in
Dunedin with Dr Jane Malthus and Jane Macknight, gold panning, an
interactive museum activity for children and families led by educator John
Neumegen, a photobooth and dress-ups in the Smith Gallery, I-SPYs in the
galleries, and crafts in the Josephine Foyer.
31 The April
school holiday period was themed around the 1925 New Zealand and South Seas
International Exhibition centenary and its circus-like aspect. Free drop in
style crafts for children inspired by the exhibition’s ‘fun
house’ were made available in the Josephine Foyer. A variety of circus
themed baking workshops where children learn to decorate cakes and biscuits
using different techniques was well attended, as was an aptly themed gallery
trail.
32 To conclude
the monthly suite of public talks in support of the 1925 Exhibition Centenary,
speakers included Alice Lloyd Fitt, propagation officer at the Dunedin Botanic
Gardens, discussing David Tannock and the exhibition’s botanical side,
and Dr Rebecca Rice, Senior Curator Art at Te Papa Tongarewa, placing the
exhibition within the wider context of New Zealand’s international
exhibitions and colonial presentation on the world stage.
33 A variety
of public talks with guest speakers included A History of Homegrown Food with
Our Food Network presenting on historical and current local food production,
Terry MacTavish, speaking about the life of her mother, acclaimed dancer Shona
Dunlop MacTavish, Tom Myers, from the Dunedin Botanic Garden, and Christopher
Havran, of Campbell University, North Carolina, on the work of Marie Catherine
Neil who in 1925 conducted a botanical collecting trip to New Zealand’s
South Island on behalf of Honolulu’s Bishop Museum, and Otakou local,
ecologist and conservationist, Hoani Langsbury, discussing the history of the
Otago Peninsula.
34 In
celebration of International Dance Day and in collaboration with Dance
Ōtepoti, Toitū hosted a full day of community dance sessions, a panel
talk, taster classes and demonstrations. A new connection saw the Mosgiel
Abilities Resource Centre performing and launching ‘Lazy Sunday’, a
music video in the Josephine Foyer for Music month and New Zealand Sign
Language Week. The annual Worldwide Knit in Public Day welcomed knitters from
across Dunedin to celebrate the hand craft of knitting through community and
visibility and also offered the public an opportunity to make their own
Knitting Nancy, learning how to make cord.
commercial activity
Retail
35 Retail
performance at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum remained steady throughout Q4,
with approximately 3,900 items sold. Sales were lower than the same period last
year, which benefited from exceptionally strong sales of the Eden Hore
publication.
36 The fourth
quarter focused on forward ordering of indent stock for the 2026/27 financial
year, including Christmas merchandise, calendars, and key tourist product
lines. The annual stocktake was also completed successfully, meeting the DCC
Finance Departments reporting requirements.
37 The team is
undertaking the Toitū shop barcoding project. All new stock is now
receipted into our stock system with barcodes, while existing stock lines are
being retrospectively barcoded. This will improve stock accuracy and streamline
the sales process by allowing Visitor Hosts to scan items rather than manually
enter product codes.
38 A
professional photoshoot was completed in May to provide updated imagery for
promotional material, the Toitū website, merchandise, and the next edition
of the Toitū guidebook, which is planned for reprinting over the next 12
months. The new images reflect the many updates made throughout the museum in
recent years.
Functions and Commercial Events
39 A total of
16 private venue bookings were held at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum between
1 April and 30 June 2026, compared with 11 during the same period last year.
40 Maggie
Craig-Pearson has commenced as the new Functions and Retail Assistant replacing
Henry Deaker. She is based at Dunedin Public Art Gallery, providing support
across Toitū and Lan Yuan when needed. We are still carrying a vacancy for
the equivalent position based at Toitū.
41 Following
the approval of Toitū's licence to serve alcohol earlier in the year, the
museum has continued to provide this service for suitable events. The new
offering has been well received, with several bookings utilising the service,
enhancing the event experience while generating additional revenue and
maximising returns from venue hire, we have made an additional $5,000+ in
revenue during Q4 from our beverage service, this is on top of our usual hire
rates. In addition, table hire continued to provide a valuable supplementary
revenue stream during the quarter.
options
42 There are
no options as this report is for information only.
NEXT STEPS
43 There
are no next steps as this report is for information only.
Signatories
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Author:
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Cam McCracken - Director DPAG and Toitū, Lan Yuan
& Olveston
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Authoriser:
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Mike Costelloe - General Manager, Arts, Culture &
Economic Development
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Attachments
There are no attachments for
this report.
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SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS
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Fit with purpose of Local Government
This decision enables democratic local
decision making and action by, and on behalf of communities.
This decision promotes the social
well-being of communities in the present and for the future.
This decision promotes the economic
well-being of communities in the present and for the future.
This decision promotes the environmental
well-being of communities in the present and for the future.
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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Future Development Strategy
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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
The Museum consults with and works with the Ngāi Tahu
Advisory Group as well as Rūnaka on a regular basis
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Sustainability
The principles of sustainability underpin all the activity
of Toitū and Lan Yuan.
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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
This decision is considered low in terms of the
Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy.
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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 implications for Community Boards.
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