Tina Law, Museum goes through budget with a ‘fine tooth comb’, The Press Te Matatika, 26 April 2025
Canterbury Museum bosses insist they have made budget cuts as their spending and staff numbers come under increased public scrutiny.
The museum is asking ratepayers and taxpayers to front up with another $50 million to pay for its $247m redevelopment, following a budget blow out announced in November.
Christchurch residents will be asked before the end of the year if they support the council contributing another $21m on top of the $59m it has already contributed.
The museum needs an answer from the council and the Government by January to avoid the project stalling and cop another cost increase.
However, the museum continues to employ 79 full-time equivalent staff and by July 1 it expects that figure will rise to 84 – more than it had when the museum was open.
Museum director Anthony Wright said the additional staff included a fundraising person and specialist people to design and build exhibits for the new museum.
The fundraiser is tasked with finding the museum’s $36.6m contribution to the $86.6m shortfall. Before November’s budget announcement the project already had a $44.6m shortfall.
The museum intends to raise its portion via various trusts, seeking donations from wealthy people with links to Christchurch and the museum, corporate sponsorship and a public fundraising campaign.
Wright said budget cuts had been made across the organisation, which had freed up the money for more staff.
“We have gone through everything with a fine tooth comb.”
About half the staff were working at the pop-up museum, Quake City and Ravenscar House Museum and Art Gallery, which all open daily.
The only way to reduce staff in those locations would be to close them, Wright said.
They had education staff visiting schools, since schools could no longer come to them. They want to keep the museum alive for families and young children.
Staff are also creating an inventory of the museum’s 2.3 million objects, and repairing some objects damaged in the earthquakes.
Sixty people were also designing new exhibition spaces, covering 4500m². The space is 50% bigger than the old museum, which displayed just 0.5% of the collection. The new museum will feature 5%.
“Staff can not be expected to do any more than they are doing at the moment. They love this project and they are working really hard to bring a great new attraction to the city,” Wright said.
The museum had absorbed the cost to lease the pop-up museum and a Hornby warehouse housing the collection and staff, and they were not “gold-plated offices” as suggested by some.
Calls for the museum to charge an entry fee are likely to be heeded. Museum trust board deputy chairperson Tom Thomson said last week they planned to introduce a fee for overseas visitors, like Te Papa has.
Te Papa started charging international visitors over 16 $35 in September. It made $750,000 in the first two months.
Canterbury Museum expects 1.2 million visitors annually, up from 800,000.
Wright said they were developing business plans for a range of charging options.
The Press columnist Mike Yardley suggested earlier this week, that if the council decides to grant the $21m, it should be given as a loan and repaid using the entry charge money.
Wright said the museum had planned to use such funds to offset the increased costs of running the new museum. If it could not do that, the operating cost would go up and that would fall on the four councils that contribute annually to the museum’s day-to-day operation.
Christchurch contributes a 71% share, Selwyn 15%, Waimakariri 12% and Hurunui 2%.
In 2025-26, Christchurch is expected to pay an operational grant of $9.4m, 3% up on the previous year.
The three district councils have been asked to contribute another $3.9m to the redevelopment over four years. Hurunui and Waimakariri district councils have verbally committed the funding, Thomson said last week.
Selwyn has formally objected and wants a meeting to discuss the issue further. The council said it was “disappointed” with the trust’s management of the project.
Christchurch’s contribution is likely to be contingent on the Government and other councils fronting up with cash too.
The museum has yet to officially ask the Government for $25m, but has met with MPs from both sides of the House.
Wright said the museum was told by MPs the Government had to be seen as a funder of last resort, so it would not make a formal application until after the outcome of the city council consultation. It needed to show it had the support of the local community.
Thomson said it had been pointed out to the MPs that Auckland Museum’s redevelopment was 60% funded by the Government and Otago Museum received about 40%.
The Government has so far contributed $35m – or 14% – of the $247m cost to redevelop Canterbury Museum.
“The museum and councils have carried the brunt of it and I think there is an argument for the Government stepping up,” Wright said.
The Press asked South Island Minister James Meager if he supported the Government putting in additional money to the project.
He did not answer the question.
He said: “Canterbury Museum is an important piece of Christchurch’s history. I am in total agreement with the minister of arts, culture and heritage: all future funding decisions around further Government support for its redevelopment project will be made as part of the Budget 2025 process.”
Wright said he was confident the museum had great community support.
The council does not yet know when it will hold the consultation, but aimed to have it done and a decision made before the October local body election.
