OTAGO MUSEUM

A WORLD-CLASS COLLECTION
OUTCOMES INDICATORS PERFORMANCE MEASURES ACHIEVED OR NOT ACHIEVED PERFORMANCE STATUS
31
Cuttlefish bone (Sepia sp.) 1 Marine invertebrate
Native micro snail shells (Thalassohelix sp.) 2 Terrestrial invertebrate
Various natural science specimens 3 Botany/terrestrial invertebrate
Passive Acquisition Humanities Number of items Details
Clothing 4 Ca. 1890s folding parasol, etc
Men’s and woman’s clothing 5 Man’s Rembrandt suit ca. 2000, etc
Women's woollen suit 1 Harvey Nichols suit
PNG bowl 1 Wooden bowl with lime infill
Two Syrian garments 2 Two embroidered outer garments
Men's long ties 3 An 'English Reader Tie', etc
Early NZ studio ceramics plate 1 Decorative plate
Te Māori calendar 1 Te Māori calendar
New Zealand studio ceramics 39 Owned by the potter Helen Mason
Commissioned Acquisition Number of items Details
Hector’s dolphin model 1 Marine education
Skeletal cleaning pygmy right whale 1 Marine mammal collection
Engage with the
community to
improve the
knowledge of our
collection, its
importance and its
value to the nation
Evidence of sharing of knowledge of the collection
and its importance, locally and nationally
ACHIEVED:
2014/15 – 186 enquiries from the
public
ACHIEVED:
2014/15 – 11 presentations by
Conservation Manager speaking on
the collection
Museum staff fielded 186 enquires about objects members of the public had in their possession.
There was a noticeable spike in the number of insect-related enquiries during the Bugs: the Mega
World of Minibeasts exhibition.
Otago Museum staff regularly present and share their knowledge in-house and through external
presentations.
In relation to the collection, the Conservation Manager has actively participated in a range of
presentations which include:
• Conservation at Otago Museum – Forward plan for conservation, Otago Museum
Trust Board
• Museum stores and Conservation lab tour, Emily Fryer Conservation
• Conservation/agents of deterioration, Museums Aotearoa Regional Forum
• Conservation at Otago Museum, Association of Friends of the Otago Museum
• Tour of natural science stores and conservation, Museums Australia
ACHIEVED:
Gold coin donations make gallery
tours more accessible
Although not a new feature of the Museum offering, in December 2014 it was decided to offer the
daily museum tours as a gold coin donation, instead of $12 per person. As per the numbers below,
this decision has increased the amount of people at a small cost of revenue. The level of income
earned in comparison to total income earned by the Museum makes it immaterial; the increase in
engagement with the community outweighs the small amount of lost revenue.