New annual pass for museum

The Nelson Provincial Museum has started 2023 with a new initiative to raise funds for the construction of its purpose-built collections facility.

The Whānau and Friends of the Museum is a new annual subscription service that will offer exclusive benefits for members, the first such initiative of its kind.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for people to really discover about the riches and the amazing collection that we have,” says chief executive Lucinda Blackley-Jimson.

Funds raised from the sale of the subscription will go towards the museum’s Archives, Research and Collections Facility (ARC), which will be built just behind the museum at 11 Church Street.

“Its primary purpose is storage but we’re also wanting to increase accessibility to the collection.”

The museum’s collection is currently stored in the Research Facility at Isel Park. However, the building is in a dire state which is why the new facility is needed.

“It’s really at the end of it’s useful life,” Lucinda says.

Staff at the Isel Park facility and the collection itself are at risk from a lack of water tightness, asbestos roofing, seismic events, and flooding. It’s also impossible to easily maintain an even temperature and humidity which are vital factors in preserving the collection.

Some museum collection items which are vulnerable to changing conditions include wooden taonga, textiles, fine art, and hand-written diaries from World War I, so a purpose-built area is vital in keeping items like these safe, Lucinda says.

“[The new ARC facility] would give us a facility that is able to protect all the collection for future generations.”

The ARC is estimated to cost $12 million but more than half of that amount has already been provided by the Nelson City and Tasman District Councils, and other funders.

“We will be talking to central government and the Ministry of Culture and Heritage for other major contributions as well. But absolutely every dollar counts at the moment to get us over the line to when we can actually commit to building.”