Rudman's city: Business approach at Motat spells lost chance

Back in March, I was delighted when the Museum of Transport and Technology was given the right to levy the Auckland region's territorial councils up to $4 million for running costs.

But I'm not so taken with the desire of the newly appointed interim director, John Syme, to make Motat more like Te Papa. Hopefully, we can put it down to first-day-on-the-job enthusiasm.

Noting that the national museum had been criticised for catering too much to the level of children, Mr Syme said: "I think that's not a bad thing. Most people come to museums with children in tow. I think even adults' attention span is such that you'd rather have things presented simply than in too much detail."

He added that those of us desiring deeper knowledge could retreat to Motat's technical research library.

With the vast collection of goodies it holds in store, surely the local museum can come up with something better, in its own idiosyncratic way, than Te Papa.

But that's rather beside the point. My concern is not so much centred around Mr Syme's wish-list. It's more to do with the new Motat board's appointment of a businessman, not a museum professional, to take command at this critical stage.

Surely now is the time, with a guaranteed source of funding about to come on stream for the first time, to head up the organisation with someone who has experience and training in setting up or running a modern museum. Mr Syme's background is as former commercial manager of St Lukes Group and as a manager at Fletcher Challenge.

Board chairman John Mounce argues that former manager Grant Kirby, installed some years previously by the Auckland City Council to rescue the foundering institution, had signalled his desire to move on now that his mission had been accomplished.

Mr Syme, deputy chairman of the old Motat board, was available and was duly appointed for a year.

His job will be to wrap up the museum's strategic plan and prepare the application for levy funds. He will also continue discussions with the various volunteer groups about their respective roles in the "new" museum and prepare Motat's case to the city council about amalgamating the two museum sites - Meola Rd and Western Springs - on to the Western Springs site.

One can't help feeling, though, that this is all a bit cart before the horse. Before you make decisions on money, staff and buildings, surely you need to decide what sort of museum you want to end up with.

As part of that decision-making, I would have thought it best to involve the professional you intend to have run the place.

This was certainly the case with Te Papa, the Maritime Museum and the newly renovated Auckland Museum. From what Mr Mounce says, it sounds as though the vision is already in place - a sort of steady as we already go - but with enough money now to make it possible.

The volunteer army will remain an integral part of the place - indeed, they will become part of the displays. Visitors will be able to watch them at work in the restoration sheds.

There's to be no revolution either, in Motat's focus. The present collections-led departments will be maintained: textiles, aviation, trams, road transport, Victorian village, pumphouse and rail.



Motat, which moved to the old Western Springs pumphouse in 1964, originally had a magpie approach to collecting, which saw it acquire everything from Lancaster bombers to cash registers.

That led to a reputation for being more junkshop than museum. Under Mr Kirby's stewardship, a more museum-like approach to collecting was adopted and various visions of the future were also debated and duly approved.

Now, with money around the corner and Mr Kirby on the move, would have been the ideal time to bring in the professional museum director with an experienced eye.

It was not to be.