Getting started
Governance and management
Care of collections and taonga
Exhibition planning
Training and skill development
General
Q: What do I do if someone brings in to the museum a Māori object that they have found?
A. Newly found Māori objects, or taonga tūturu, are in the first instance Crown owned to allow for claims of ownership. The find and objects have to be notified to the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Read more about the guidelines.
Q: How does my organisation formally register as a museum?
A: Currently, there is no formal registration process in place in New Zealand. If you are interested in adopting proper museums practices, we recommend the New Zealand Museums Standard Scheme. Find out more information about this programme.
Q: Where do I find information about funding?
A: There are many sources of funding available. It all depends on what type of funding you need, for example, seed funding, partnership funding, conditional funding, and so on.
The Cultural Funding Guide is now available on www.nzlive.com. This is a free funding database dedicated to the arts, culture and heritage sector so you can search for project funding quickly and easily.
For advice on writing funding applications, read our He Rauemi Resource Guide No. 2 ‘Tapping into Funding Sources’ - it is downloadable free from our website.
Q: How can I acquire funding for capital projects?
A. We recommend you apply to Lotteries Environment and Heritage (part of the Department of Internal Affairs). Funding grants are offered for projects which promote, protect and conserve New Zealand's natural, physical and cultural heritage.
Visit their website, or you can call them at 0800 824 824.
Q: Is there funding available for oral history projects?
A. National Services Te Paerangi does not fund oral history projects, however we would like to suggest that you contact these organisations for help on financial grants.
They are:
Q: What about funding for cataloguing projects?
A: You can approach Lottery Environment and Heritage which may fund specific cataloguing projects. Costs for temporary staff for the purpose of cataloguing the collection may be an eligible budget item.
Please contact Lottery Environment and Heritage for further advice.
Q: Where can I get a copy of ‘A Strategy for the Museum Sector in New Zealand’?
A: This museum strategy was produced by:
Museums Aotearoa Inc
PO Box 10 928
Wellington, New Zealand
Ph: 04 499 1313
Fax: 04 499 6313
Email: mail@museums-aotearoa.org.nz
Please contact this organisation for a copy.
Q: How do I find out more information about museum governance, specifically the roles and responsibilities of trustees and the director, and the relationship between them?
A: We have a He Rauemi Resource Guide titled ‘Governance Structures’ and we also recommend a Creative New Zealand (CNZ) document called ‘Getting on Board’, which is available on the CNZ website or by asking CNZ for a free hard copy.
Q: Where can I find information about digitising our collection, and the best Collection Management System to use?
A. Below are links to the websites of the three main systems:
Other helpful Collection Management System resources:
Digital Imaging Tutorial - Cornell University Library
This website takes you through the steps and the questions that are important to ask before committing to a particular Collection Management System.
National Digital Forum (New Zealand)
Selected resources relevant to anyone interested in New Zealand’s cultural heritage and the opportunities presented by new information and communication technologies.
Standards (for metadata)
This organisation aims to foster the adoption of simple standards to facilitate the finding, sharing and management of information.
Q: If I have a question about conservation, who do I approach first?
A: Information about the care and conservation of cultural heritage materials is available from the NZCCM (NZ Conservators of Cultural Materials). Their website has an online directory listing institutions with conservation departments and private conservators who specialise in various mediums. It also provides advice on choosing a conservator and what to expect from a conservator in terms of service. Visit their website.
Q: Do you have any documents or policy to guide me in setting up an area suitable to store Māori cloaks, paintings, photographs, and so on?
A: We have a He Rauemi Resource Guide titled ‘A Guide to Guardians of Iwi Treasures He Tohu ki ngā Kaitiaki o ngā Taonga-ā-iwi’ that would be useful as an initial guide. The best thing you can do is to learn from other museums - especially the larger ones. Make contact and learn what to do from museums that already have a collection management programme in place. If you need help to establish these contacts, please contact us.
Q: What sort of fire protection system should a museum install for its collection store areas?
There are two options that museums can consider.
Gas Flooding
Gas flooding comes in a number of products such as carbon dioxide (CO2), Inergen (low oxygen) and a few other products. The area to be protected is connected to a series of large gas bottles containing the preferred gas (usually stored outside the room). In the event of a fire, an alarm is activated to warn people to leave the area and shortly after, the gas is "dropped" into the room through a series of pipes just like sprinklers. Delivery can be very fast, filling the whole room within seconds.
Gas flooding is excellent for high value collections like stamps but can be a very costly option to install and maintain
Sprinklers
Sprinklers are still the preferred option because they are proven to be effective and water supply is constant. Water damage is reversable in most cases (with care) but it is still advisable to keep valuable collections stored within enclosures like boxes which would add further protection if they became wet, would shed water and offer protection against smoke damage.
If you have any questions in this area, please contact us.
Q: What are the museum-related training courses available in New Zealand?
A: There are a few options to explore. You can enrol in:
- a post graduate qualification with Victoria University of Wellington, Massey University, and the University of Auckland. There are other universities that offer variances of museum and heritage studies as well.
- courses to complete the museums unit standards from the Aviation, Tourism and Travel Training Organisation (ATTTO), which is the museum sector’s Industry Training Organisation. Visit the ATTTO website.
- the He Kāhui Kākākura Strategic Leadership Programme (HKK). This programme is for those already working in the sector in a leadership role and is offered in partnership with Victoria University of Wellington. Find out more.
If you do have any other questions, please contact us.