Public meeting on Whanganui Regional Museum’s governance future

Whanganui Regional Museum received operational funding of $1.4 million from the district council for the 2025-26 financial year. Photo / NZME

Details of a potential new governance structure at Whanganui Regional Museum will be revealed at a public meeting.

A review of the museum, completed in August 2024, recommended that Whanganui District Council take over operations and staffing, a move to which the museum agreed in principle.

Last November, museum joint council chairman Dr John Smart said a council takeover required a change to the museum’s 25-year-old constitution, along with a review and public consultation.

The joint council, which runs the museum, is made up of representatives from the Tikanga Māori House and the Civic House.

Smart told the Chronicle this week that a broad range of stakeholders had been included in the museum’s review, including the Friends of the Museum group, significant donors, kaitiaki appointees and iwi.

“There have been a number of face-to-face meetings and we had a stall at the Pākaitore memorial day,” he said.

“But we’ve also corresponded with a wider range of people and sought their input, and there has been a public questionnaire up on our website for multiple months.”

He said the public meeting tomorrow would provide one more opportunity for people to understand “where the review has got to”.

“And to comment on it.

“The review panel has submitted its report to the joint council of the museum, which will consider it next week.

“Then we will establish a dialogue with the Whanganui District Council.”

The museum’s collection has about 300,000 items, valued at nearly $36 million.

Under the current model, the joint council appoints the museum’s director, with the director employing staff.

Operational funding of $1.4m was provided by the district council for the 2025-26 financial year.

Smart will present the review’s findings and recommendations at tomorrow’s meeting, which starts at 5.30pm at the Davis Lecture Theatre.

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.