Heritage buildings need ‘significant’ help, say historians

Blenheim’s high-profile museum lets in ants, reaches “very hot” temperatures, and could be a “death trap” in a quake.

It isn't the only heritage building nearing “the last quarter of its life”.

Several heritage buildings across the region need “significant replacement or renovation”, Marlborough Heritage Trust trustee Cathie Bell told the Marlborough District Council at its long-term plan hearings last week.

But not a dollar has been put towards building or upgrading heritage assets in the council's long-term plan, which prioritises and allocates council spending for the next decade.

“Heritage is more than dead things on a shelf in dusty, old buildings ... To some people, the Edwin Fox is a hull and some bits of old timber. But to me, it's a talisman of how my great-great-grandfather set out to raise a family in New Zealand.”

According to the trust's submission, the walls of the Marlborough Museum were a fire risk, its doors let in ants, and its roof had leaked since “day one”, 31 years ago.

The rear half of the building’s floor have also not been reinforced with steel, as planned, which “could be a death trap for staff or result in damage to the collections”.

Cathie says the dock that houses the Edwin Fox, one of the world’s oldest ships, also has “serious corrosion issues”.

“We, as a trust, are a partnership between the heritage organisations in the region and the council, but at the moment we feel the council is not really engaged with us.”

Two of the trust’s eight trustee positions are set aside for council representatives under a partnership agreement, yet the positions have remained empty for almost three years.

The trust has tried to fill the vacancies multiple times, but saw little interest. Cathie thinks some council staff are overloaded, working “the equivalent of three full-time jobs”.

“For them, the trust is not high on the agenda ... But for us, those positions are really important and affect our ability to operate. They affect our banking covenants, for example.”

Former Marlborough Historical Society president Paul Davidson submitted in support of the trust later that day, saying heritage had long been “neglected” by the council.

The Marlborough Museum has not been expanded since it opened three decades ago, with staff constantly trying to fit “two quarts of history into one pint of space”, Paul says.

He has used the annual plan process in the past to ask council to put the museum’s main exhibitions into the new Blenheim Library and Art Gallery, freeing up most of the museum’s display space. The council did not support him.

“I just don't think it's good enough ... We only have to look over the hill to see that operating expenses for the Nelson [Provincial] Museum are 10 times what is given to the Marlborough one, and they're not 10 times bigger than us.”

Marlborough Mayor John Leggett says the issues raised by the trust were “concerning to hear”, and would be dealt with.

When a councillor questioned if some of the trust's price estimates were inconsistent, trust chief executive Steve Austin said the council was “in danger of missing the point”.

“I think the bigger picture is what we're here for today.”

Councillor Francis Maher says the council owe it to the trustees to return the relationship to a level playing field. He was a former trust chairman and could not vote on the issue during deliberations this week due to a conflict of interest.

“Councillors do have to be aware this is one organisation that burns people out a lot quicker than most,” Francis says.

Councillor Mark Peters says he is concerned that the Marlborough Heritage Trust is missing two of its trustees.

Cathie says the trust is preparing to lose $10,000 a year from the council when its partnership agreement expires at the end of June. She says the council plan to audit the trust to see if it is “value for money” before revisiting their agreement.

“We’re keen to have that happen as soon as possible, so we can clear any blockages in the trust's operations,” Cathie says.

The trust can request funding from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, but is holding off until a feasibility study into a heritage and environment centre in Picton is completed.

The study was successfully pitched by the Picton Smart and Connected group last year. If successful, it could see changes to the Edwin Fox Museum and the Picton Museum.

Long-term plan submissions were heard over three days in the council chambers last week, wrapping up on Thursday.

Each funding request the council approved would up this year’s rates increase, set to be the largest in more than a decade, at 5.8 per cent. This year’s final rates increase would be set on June 30, when the long-term plan was adopted.

NAME SUGGESTED FOR NEW LIBRARY

New Zealand's pioneer suffragist has had her name put forward for a new library and art gallery in Blenheim.

Mary Anne Muller was a 19th century suffragist who published articles calling for women to be emancipated from men under the pseudonym Femmina.

Historians wanting to honour her legacy have asked for all or a part of a new library in Blenheim to be named after Muller.

“There has been a lot of support to mark her with a public memorial, and the Marlborough Heritage Trust asks that the council do this at the new library, given her historical and literary significance,” said trustee Cathie Bell last week.

The new $20 million library and art gallery, mostly funded through the Government’s ‘shovel ready' initiative, was due to be completed by next year – 13 years after it was mooted.