MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE TRUST BOARD,
OPEN AGENDA
Meeting held at Apārangi Office, 33 Broadway, Newmarket
Thursday, 10 December 2020
(Hakihea – Rāpare, 10 Tīhema 2020)
8:30am-3:00pm
Present: O Atimalala (Chair), J Judge, R Carlyon, B Palmer, Prof. R Bedford, K Avery, P Hulse, M
Mariassouce and P M Lua.
Apologies: R Tūwhāngai (arriving late), B Palmer and P Hulse (for early departures)
In attendance: Chief Executive and Governance and Compliance Manager
Item
MINUTES
No.
1.
WELCOME AND KARAKIA
The Chair welcomed members and thanked the Museum staff for the successful
opening events through the week.
A Karakia was said by P M Lua.
2.
AGENDA OPENING
The Trust Board Chair opened the meeting at 08:38am.
2.1
Apologies
R Tūwhāngai was an apology for late arrival and both P Hulse and B Palmer gave
apologies for early departures.
2.2
Conflicts of Interest
No conflicts of interest were declared. The Governance and Compliance Manager
noted the new, simplified format of the Register of Interests. J Judge requested that his
interest as a Trustee with the Dean Endowment Trust be added to the register. M Binns
requested that his previous role with Metlifecare interest be removed from register.
2.3
Mihimihi / Pepeha for New Trust Board Members
The Chair welcomed the new members P Hulse and R Tūwhāngai. P Hulse provided an
introduction.
2.4
Confirmation of Trust Board Officer Elections
The Governance and Compliance Manager announced the results of the Trust Board
officer elections that had been undertaken remotely prior to the meeting. The officer
positions had been un-contested but all nominees had received the required majority
votes from Trust Board members.
The Trust Board officers and committee assignments from 10 December 2020 through
to the next annual election in October 2021 included:
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Trust Board Open Meeting Minutes – 10 December 2020
Trust Board Chair – O Atimalala
Trust Board Deputy Chair – J Judge
Planning Committee
Planning Committee Chair – P Hulse
Planning Committee Deputy Chair – Prof R Bedford
Executive and Governance Committee
Committee Chair - R Carlyon
Committee Deputy Chair – R Tūwhāngai
Member (ex officio) – O Atimalala
Member (ex officio) - J Judge
Audit and Risk Committee
Committee Chair – B Palmer
Committee Deputy Chair – M Binns
Member – K Avery
Member – Prof R Bedford
Member (ex officio) - O Atimalala
Future Museum Capital Programme Committee
Committee Chair – M Binns
Committee Deputy Chair – K Avery
Member – B Palmer
Member (ex officio) – O Atimalala
Development Committee
Committee Chair – J Judge
Committee Deputy Chair – R Tūwhāngai
Member – P Hulse
Member – R Carlyon
Member (ex officio) – O Atimalala
Co-opted Member – L Sainsbury
B Palmer raised concern about the existence of the Executive and Governance
Committee, noting that the Committee held largely two key roles including monitoring
the Chief Executive Success Agreement and overseeing the Governance policies. He
suggested that regular monitoring of the CE Success Agreement could be undertaken
directly between the Chief Executive and the Trust Board Chair and Deputy Chair. He
also suggested that overseeing the governance policies was a responsibility of the full
Trust Board and should not be held by a specific committee.
In discussion, the Trust Board discussed how other boards had seemingly similar
permanent sub-committees that could deal directly with immediate matters or
personal grievances. However, it was also noted that an ad hoc sub-committee could
be formed in the event of a specific issue such as a personal grievance. However, under
normal circumstances, the management of the Chief Executive Success Agreement
could be undertaken by the Chair and Deputy Chair and the full Trust Board.
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Trust Board Open Meeting Minutes – 10 December 2020
o The Trust Board agreed that the Executive and Governance Committee will meet as
scheduled on 24 February 2021 and discuss if the Committee is still fit for purpose
and where its responsibilities were best situated.
B Palmer / R Carlyon – All carried
R Tuwhangai entered 8:50am and provided an introduction.
3.
GOVERNANCE
3.1
Minutes of the Previous Meeting
The Trust Board considered the Minutes of the Open Agenda Meeting held on 22
October 2020 and approved them as a true and accurate record.
R Bedford / M Binns – All carried
3.2
Matters Arising
The Trust Board reviewed the list of matters arising from the meeting of 22 October
2020 noting that many actions had been completed or were being addressed in the
agenda items.
R Carlyon expressed disappointment that the invitation list for the recent Te Ao
Mārama opening event on 1 Dec had been circulated to the Development Committee
very late, and with the lack of consultation with the Committee on invitees. It was
requested that the Development Committee needed greater insight into invitation lists
for major Museum events well in advance.
o The Trust Board Development Committee to be given greater insight and input into
the invitations lists well in advance of major Museum events.
4.
RESOLUTIONS FOR APPROVAL
The Chair welcomed John McIntyre, Rae Nield and Marilyn Kohlhase from the Auckland
Museum Institute to the Trust Board meeting.
4.1
Electricity Contract Renewal
The Chair moved to agenda item 9.4 (out of sequence) so it could be addressed the
Trust Board while the Director of Enterprise and Finance was present.
•
The Trust Board noted the process Museum is currently under-going to secure the
most favourable deal on electricity pricing, and delegated the authority to sign the
contract with the successful bidder (electricity supplier) to the Chief Executive Dr
David Gaimster.
J Judge / M Binns – All carried
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Trust Board Open Meeting Minutes – 10 December 2020
5.
COLLECTIONS DEVELOPMENT AT TĀMAKI PAENGA HIRA
The Chair moved to agenda item 8 (out of sequence), in the open session of the Trust
Board meeting and welcomed the Director of Collections and Research.
The Director of Collections and Research introduced what he described as largely an
information session but noted that it would provide better context to the deaccession
request addressed by the Trust Board in the meeting. He explained that the Museum
took a holistic approach to collections development from acquisition all the way
through deaccession or potential disposal. This was framed by the 1996 Auckland War
Memorial Museum Act (1996 Act), the Governance Policy and the Collections
Development Plan (CDP).
The Director of Collections and Research explained that the CDP included an
overarching Executive Summary which then guided the series of resulting operational
policies, plans and procedures. These are all then reflected in each of the Museum’s
annual plans. The CDP Executive Summary was reviewed regularly by the Trust Board,
while the detailed operational plans were amended accordingly and updated as
required.
The Director of Collections and Research stated that the Executive Summary of the CDP
defines the scope of collections development and draws objectives directly from the
1996 Act. These allow the Museum to prioritise donations and acquisitions for possible
accession into the collection. He also mentioned that prioritisation and acquisition was
aligned with other museums in New Zealand. J Judge enquired about how much
cooperation was between the museums. Director of Collections and Research
explained that cooperation between museums tends to be by discipline, although in
general Auckland Museum tended to focus from Taupo north. The museums had
different focuses although there were some overlaps, including some deliberate
overlaps to ensure continuity of collections.
The Director of Collections and Research outlined that the Museum has a Collection
Development Committee which helps oversee the CDP and is composed of
representatives from across the Museum teams, and was not just made up of curators,
which meets every six weeks or on a case-by-case basis. He continued to outline the
criteria and priorities for acquisitions that were in the Executive Summary of the CDP.
The Trust Board received the CDP Executive Summary and the presentation by the
Director of Collections and Research.
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Trust Board Open Meeting Minutes – 10 December 2020
6.
RESOLUTIONS FOR APPROVAL
6.1
W Levingston Cooke Family Trust Fund Allocation Request
The Chair introduced agenda item 9.3 out of sequence for resolution, regarding the
request for an allocation from the W Levingston Cooke Family Trust Fund for a
paper/photographic conservator role. The Director of Collections and Research
explained that normally the W L Cooke Family Trust Fund requests came to the Trust
Board annually in April/May. However, this was an extraordinary request that had
been brought forward because visa conditions for the incumbent candidate required
urgent attention.
He explained that the Museum had previously only contracted paper and photography
conservators on an ad hoc basis, but the scale of the role had grown to the point that it
required a permanent full-time role. The allocation request was to fund the role for
two years, and potentially beyond subject to confirmation and later requests. The
incumbent and preferred candidate who had been recruited from Canada in 2019
required confirmation of the permanent role in order to secure a visa under the current
border restrictions.
K Avery enquired if there were any home-grown conservators with the required skillset.
The Director of Collections and Research explained that there was no domestic tertiary
programme so specialists had to either be recruited from overseas, or domestic
specialists had to be trained overseas. The Chief Executive further explained that the
lack of tertiary programmes in the conservation field was being pitched to the
Government but at the moment there was no central funding. The Museum had
recently discussed this situation with the Vice Chancellor at University of Auckland. K
Avery asked if the Museum could potentially lead such a programme, suggesting that it
could be attractive to funders. The Director of Collections and Research noted that the
Museum would need to scope such a programme and it would still require partnership
with an academic institution.
The Director of Collections and Research confirmed that this was any extraordinary
request and there would still be the normal annual request for drawdown from the W L
Cooke Family Trust Fund later in 2021.
•
The Trust Board approved the allocation of a total of $170,000 from the W
Levingston Cooke Family Trust over two years to enable the continued
employment of a Paper/Photographic Conservator.
M Binns / R Carlyon – All carried
7.
ITEMS TO RECEIVE
7.1
Financial Reports
The Director of Enterprise and Finance introduced the financial reports, reporting that
year to date the Museum was tracking well. She explained that the Auckland
community had responded better than expected following the Covid lockdowns, as
there were strong bookings for events and good response to the opening of the new
café and shop. She noted that the Museum would reforecast financial projections in
February.
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Trust Board Open Meeting Minutes – 10 December 2020
M Binns reported on behalf of the FMCC that there should be no more outstanding
variations on the major works programme which is almost complete. The Director of
Enterprise and Finance agreed that no major variations were outstanding and noted
that the Museum had not gone into external borrowing.
The Trust Board received the Financial Reports.
Health and Safety Reports (Oct 2020)
7.2
The Trust Board received the Health and Safety Reports for Oct 2020. No comments.
8.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
There were no reports received from Trust Board committees.
9.
PARTNER REPORTS
9.1
Taumata-ā-Iwi Report (verbal report) – M Mariassouce
M Mariassouce reported that the request for deaccession and return of Tairuku Potaka
Pātaka by Te Whanau-ā-Apanui had been the main item at the previous Taumata-ā-Iwi
hui and the issue had already been addressed by the Trust Board.
The Tumuaki for Māori and Pacific Development, D Peita, acknowledged the Taumata-
ā-Iwi and Pacific Advisory Group for their stewardship in leading the Karakia/Kava
Ceremony opening Te Ao Mārama. He noted that his team was evolving to better work
with Taumata-ā-Iwi and the Pacific Advisory Group. The Chair thanked the Tumuaki
and his team for their work in the opening of Te Ao Mārama and the successful
Karakia/Kava Ceremony.
The Chief Executive mentioned that Te Ao Mārama had earlier in the week held the first
public event following its opening which was the Ngā Kākano Lecture and panel
discussion. This event had addressed questions about de-colonising and indigenising
museums, and the Chief Executive reported that it had been a challenging but highly
valuable discussion. He recommended that Trust Board members view the video of the
event which was available on the Auckland Museum website. R Bedford agreed that it
had been a terrific event and expressed that Te Ao Mārama was establishing itself as a
safe space for debate, premised on respect for diversity which is reflected all around
the space.
9.2
AMI Report – J McIntyre
J McIntyre introduced the AMI Presidents Report, noting that the report was fairly
straight forward. He mentioned that the Annual General Meeting was scheduled for
the night of Tuesday 15 Dec when officer elections would take place including for the
new AMI President. J McIntyre reported that collaboration with the Museum especially
regarding the Museum Membership was all very positive. He noted that he had been
interested in the deaccession request addressed by the Trust Board, especially as
previous Museum policy had directed that there would never be deaccession from the
collection.
The Chair and Chief Executive acknowledged and thanked the AMI for the recent grant
supporting the post-graduate programme which they stated established a new era of
partnership between AMI and the Museum. J McIntyre thanks the Trust Board and the
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Trust Board Open Meeting Minutes – 10 December 2020
Museum for supporting that partnership and bring up that particular opportunity for
the AMI to be an adjunct supporter. K Avery recognised that the post-graduate
programme facilitated through the partnership would open up career pathways into
the Museum disciplines, which was a key objective for both the Trust Board and AMI.
9.3
Pacific Advisory Group (PAG) – P M Lua
P M Lua on behalf of the Kava Aotearoa team thanked the Tumuaki and the Māori and
Pacific Development Team and the Museum for trusting them with leading the kava
ceremony to open Te Ao Mārama. He believed that the situation was culture-evolving
and showed the Museum putting a flag in the sand in terms of respecting tangata
whenua and the Pacific community. P M Lua also reflected on the connection between
Pukekawa and ‘kava’ and emphasised how appropriate it had been for the kava
ceremony to be held in Te Ao Mārama on Pukekawa. He noted that even-though the
event had lots of moving parts, the whole occasion seemed to flow very well.
10.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
No other business was raised.
11.
MEETING CLOSE
The Chair thanked all attendees and wished everyone an enjoyable Christmas. Meeting
was closed at 2:49pm.
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Trust Board Open Meeting Minutes – 10 December 2020
