Museum supporters farewell outgoing staff before handing keys over to council

A small gathering has been held to farewell outgoing staff and mark the “next step in the evolution of the Marlborough Museum”.

Staff, volunteers and supporters gathered in the lobby, over tea and cookies and chocolate cake, to say goodbye to each other, for now, before locking the doors and dropping the keys off to the Marlborough District Council.

The council from July 1 takes over the management of the museum, following a review of the Marlborough Heritage Trust, which had run it for close to a decade.

That review was carried out amid escalating costs and ongoing calls for help, and prompted the decision to wind up the trust and restructure the heritage sector in Marlborough. As part of that, slightly tweaked positions were created at the museum and staff had to reapply for their jobs.

READ MORE:
* Heritage education a ‘top priority’, says new museum manager
* Heritage sector hamstrung by council not keeping up its end of the bargain
* Marlborough’s heritage takeover: Who knew what and when?
* The meeting at the museum that ‘blindsided’ a society

New museum manager Elizabeth Ward is due to start in her role from July 1, so presumably starts on Monday.

The Marlborough Heritage Trust was formed in 2014 with a deed signed between the council and several heritage organisations, including the Marlborough Historical Society.

In 2016, the society signed over its assets to the trust, including the Marlborough Museum, built in 1990. As part of the restructure, the trust would pass all relevant assets back to the society, with the council stepping in to manage and operate them.

Marlborough Historical Society vice-president John Orchard said a small get-together was held on Friday as it was important to mark the “next step in the evolution of the Marlborough Museum”.

The building was to be locked at 4pm before taking the keys to the council offices, he said.

Orchard added there was “good commitment” from existing volunteers to continue under the new management.

“In my view, that’s the best of both worlds,” he said. “To my knowledge none are upset about this move … and therefore they hope to be back involved here soon.”

And, despite attempts from some to pause the council takeover, Orchard said the society was happy for it to progress.

Running the museum had got too big for the society, and it had in turn got too big for the trust, he said.

“The council has been funding a large part of the operations for many years, and they have offered to take it over and manage it in their way. The society is very happy for that to happen.”

The society, with its “committee structure”, would continue, running monthly historical lectures and field trips for members and the public, Orchard added. It would also advocate to try and win back Ministry of Education contracts for Marlborough’s heritage education programme, lost to Nelson providers.

The education resources were being “tidied up and left ready to go” for when that happened, Orchard said.

Trust chair John Larcombe said the council takeover ensured a “better future” for what was an “asset for the public”.

Larcombe was sure it would “grow” under council control, he said.