Coote: Iwi 'definitely supports' the museum project
“When I see things in public, in The Southland Tribune, in regard to some of the Mayor’s comments, it is quite disappointing.”
Mana whenua representative Pania Coote has stressed iwi supports the museum build in Invercargill and is disappointed with suggestions otherwise.
Council staff has placed the museum rebuild into the concerning red status as part of its traffic light reporting on various capital projects.
A report to councillors states there are risks to the $87m museum project “due to issues within the experience design group and support from Iwi and the [Southern] Regional Collections Trust”.
Mayor Nobby Clark told The Tribune there are delays in getting iwi input to tell their story as part of the new museum experience and that could push the mid-2026 opening date out.
The topic was raised at a council meeting on Tuesday where Coote expressed disappointment around the commentary attached to the project.
“Just to put some context in it, iwi definitely supports this project going forward. So, I really struggle when I see that there are issues around our support and commitment,” Coote said.
“I see there are two different things here, there’s the [Southern Regional] Collection Trust and then there is the [iwi] narratives.
“The narratives are definitely in progress, they do exist. It’s how we pull that together to work alongside you.
“When I see things in public, in The Southland Tribune, in regard to some of the mayor’s comments, it is quite disappointing.”
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Mayor Clark said the previous plan was that Te Ao Marama Inc would sign off on the project with Gibson International - the company leading the museum experience design.
Te Ao Marama represents iwi on resource management and local government issues.
Clark added there had also been a discussion about a consultant role for iwi with Gibson International through the design of the museum experience.
However, Clark said Te Ao Marama sent a letter on Monday advising that they had declined that plan.
“We’ve got some current roadblocks, some of it is personality-based,” Clark said.
Mayor Clark is scheduled to meet with the chairs of the four local rūnanga on Tuesday where he hopes to get some “high-level” input from them to make things happen.
“We want to have a historical story about iwi, which pre-dates colonisation and works through to today.
“We need to get some sign-off on that and we need to get some progress with it. Because the alternative is we either extend out the [museum] opening date - which I’m not in favour of - or we open the facility without the iwi story and add it at a later stage.
“I don’t think anybody would want that,” Clark said.
Council CEO Michael Day said they had been proactive in working with all of the rūnanga and added there was still a very strong commitment from them to support the project.
On top of the need to sort the iwi narrative, there are also issues with the Southern Regional Collections Trust to work through.
The Collections Trust trustees were appointed in 2023 by the Invercargill, Southland District, and Gore councils to govern the collection.
It is Clark’s belief the trust has been shifted from a council-controlled organisation to a separate trust.
Although others have stated the trust was a completely independent trust.
The three council CEOs have previously led the appointments panel for the trustees but Clark said iwi now led that process.
There is also some conjecture as to who owns the collections with Clark saying the trust only governs it but does not own it.
However, others point out that all property held by the former Southland Museum and Art Gallery Trust Board was vested to the new trust.
“We have some roadblocks if we are honest around the access to the artifacts that are currently stored in the Tisbury regional collection facility,” Clark said.
“I need to get some clarity from iwi as well around ownership, around what’s being stored there, as opposed to what’s being governed by the trust that is there.”
Meanwhile, Council CEO Michael Day said they were also working with the Southern Regional Collections Trust and said there were meetings scheduled for either side of Christmas to work through management funding for the trust in the future.
Clarke just trying to throw groups under the bus, showing his colours once again.