MOTAT MOVING ON FROM HERE
A Note From The Society Chair:
Following a lengthy review process, and subject to due diligence and a final decision, Auckland Council’s Value for Money Committee has agreed in principle to integrate Motat into the Auckland Council Group as a new business unit of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU).
What this means is that Motat’s long term sustainability will be strengthened by enhancing the experience for visitors, supporting future investment, increasing operational efficiency and enabling more collaboration across Auckland’s network of cultural institutions – alongside Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland Zoo, and the New Zealand Maritime Museum.
What does this mean for the Motat Society?
In terms of the Society’s role in supporting the Museum there is unlikely to be significant change. What members will see, however, is a change in how the Museum is funded. Under the current Motat Act arrangements, funding available to the Museum from Auckland Council is limited to operational funding only. There is no funding for capital expenditure to upgrade our existing facilities.
TAU and Motat have worked together, and the boards of both entities resolved to explore integration. The integration proposes to preserve MOTAT’s distinctive identity, collections, volunteer base and purpose.
Wayne Schache (Motat’s Deputy Chair) said at the recent Society Annual General Meeting that if the Museum progresses down this track, as the Maritime Museum has already done, Motat gets to be part of Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP). This means that business cases can be developed to access Tātaki’s large capex bid process in the LTP. At present, Motat’s infrastructure is failing, buildings are failing, and Motat is borrowing money which does not help with future funding.
Although the Motat Board and Tātaki Auckland are the main players in these significant decisions, your Society Committee has endeavoured to work with both parties to ensure that we have a seat at the table during the next stages of this transformation.
We have worked with Motat over several years to develop a unique relationship between volunteers and staff at Motat, that no other similar institution has in place. All our volunteers and staff are part of a single “Motat Team”. This acknowledges the considerable input from volunteers and their equal engagement with the museum alongside our professional museum staff. Volunteers and paid staff are on the same level in terms of their contribution and engagement with the museum and we see this echoed where staff and volunteers attend both Society events and Museum events.
The Motat Society has secured a seat at the table for discussions on Motat’s future. This secures the Motat Society as an integral part of the museum’s future. In all of our discussions with the Motat Board, Motat Management, Tātaki Auckland, and Auckland Council, the Society Committee is guided by the five tenets which were developed and agreed to unanimously by all members of the committee earlier in the year. These tenets are:
The Motat Society’s Five Tenets of support for Motat
To preserve and promote the unique role and relationship of the volunteers and their contribution to Motat.
To continue to acknowledge the wonderful history of the museum.
To maintain the continuing support for the museum and its objectives.
To support the ongoing professional development of the Motat team to ensure that appropriate knowledge and skills are carried forward.
To encourage the affiliation between the Motat Society and associated museums and historical organisations.
Alan Curtis
Motat Society Chair
October 2026
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