Whanganui Regional Museum to start talks with council about possible takeover

The museum's collection has about 300,000 items, valued at nearly $36m. Photo / NZME

Whanganui District Council is likely to take over operations at Whanganui Regional Museum, with negotiations about to begin.

In 2024, the council, the museum’s major financial backer, provided up to $250,000 in emergency funding on the condition that an independent report be completed to ensure the museum was financially sustainable.

The report, by consultant Anthony Hill, recommended the council take over operations and staffing as that would provide “an integrated corporate structure for the support of the museum, with far greater access to people and services than is currently the case”.

A council takeover requires a change to the museum’s 25-year-old constitution and a review from an expert panel.

Museum joint council chairman Dr John Smart presented the panel’s findings at a public meeting on March 31.

Like Hill, it recommended outsourcing operations to the council, with the trust retaining ownership and oversight of the collection.

Museum joint council chairman Dr John Smart says the museum wants to negotiate "a bespoke model" with the council. Photo / Mike Tweed

Other options were maintaining independence, contracting the council to supply corporate services such as information technology and human resources, or a handover model in which the trust relinquished strategic oversight.

The panel comprised Smart, Whanganui Heritage Trust co-chair Mary-Ann Ewing, Te Rūnanga Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa group chief executive Grant Huwyler, museum trust deputy chair Marshall Tangaroa, and Te Papa‘s head of sector development and national services Victoria Esson.

Smart told the Chronicle the joint council accepted the recommendations, subject to implementation issues and negotiations.

“It’s a work in progress and we will start to engage with the district council in the next few weeks,” he said.

“We want to sit down and negotiate a bespoke model, that’s how I would describe it.

“It’s not a black and white issue.”

The museum employs 12 fulltime and nine part-time staff, and has 13 volunteers.

According to Smart’s March 31 presentation, the panel addressed chronic underfunding, the building not being fit for purpose, governance performance and updating the trust’s constitution.

In 2025-26, the council provided the museum $1.4 million for operations, nearly 90% of its total funding.

Smart said future council funding would be part of the upcoming negotiations.

The main issue with the building was environmental controls, he said.

Mayor Andrew Tripe says funding considerations need to be assessed through the council’s formal budget and long-term planning processes. Photo / NZME

“In the public spaces, only the Lindauer Gallery is properly temperature and moisture-controlled.

“For other areas, the temperature changes between summer and winter, and that’s not great for works of art.”

Smart said it was not a major short-term issue, but over decades, it could lead to problems for the collection.

The collection has about 300,000 items, valued at nearly $36m.

“There are a couple of floors down below as well where things are stored,” he said.

“If we want them [collection items] to still be in good shape in 100 years, we need good quality environmental controls.”

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said the next steps involved further discussion between the council and museum joint council, including workshops with councillors, to better understand the recommendations, implications for staff and services, and long-term sustainability.

“Any funding considerations would need to be assessed through the council’s formal budget and long-term planning processes.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.