Regional Museums Policy
Information Guide and Checklist (updated March 2008)
Applications to the Regional Museums Policy for Capital Construction Projects will be considered each year on a contestable basis against other applications and within the annual funding available. It is not advisable for projects to be developed with an expectation or assumption that government funding will be available. Given the limited funds available for distribution, projects must be able to demonstrate that they meet the Policy's criteria in order to receive consideration.
There is no formal application form for applying for funding through the Policy. An applicant makes a written submission to the Ministry for Culture and Heritage demonstrating its ability to meet the criteria set out in the Policy document 'Regional Museums Policy for Capital Construction Projects'. Applications for archaeological sites and facilities such as visitor centres, libraries, or science centres, will not be considered for Policy funding.
Prior to making an application for Regional Museums Policy funding:
Please read the Policy document 'Regional Museums Policy for Capital Construction Projects' carefully before preparing a submission and ensure that all the criteria in the Policy are addressed. This can be achieved by providing information that clearly demonstrates how the institution meets each criterion. Before deciding whether to submit an application, please give careful consideration to the assessment criteria, particularly, the key criterion that an institution must be able to demonstrate that it holds a collection of national significance. Collections will need to be of special or outstanding significance to New Zealand and make a substantial contribution to New Zealand 's cultural heritage.
In addition to the collections being of national significance, applicants will need to consider how well advanced the project is in terms of design and planning, community support, the resource consent process and fundraising targets. Institutions should ensure that projected costs of the project are as accurate as possible as there can be no expectation of further funding from the Policy to accommodate unforeseen or additional costs.
The government will not provide funding from the Policy unless an applicant is able to demonstrate that the project will then be able to proceed without undue delay.
While premature applications are discouraged, a museum may wish to register an expression of interest in applying to the Policy in the future when it is able to meet the Policy's criteria. This is preferable to submitting a formal application which will be declined. If it is obvious from the outset that a museum's application will not meet the Policy criteria, particularly the requirement that an institution must hold a nationally significant collection, the applicant will be notified promptly.
Disclosure and Publication of Information
In advising of a possible application for funding, or submitting any application for funding to the Policy, you and/or the organisation you represent, acknowledge and agree that the Ministry may:
- disclose to or obtain from any other government department or agency, private person or organisation, any information about you and/or the organisation you represent and the project; and
- publish any information relating to you and/or the organisation you represent and the project;
where the Ministry considers it necessary for the purpose of administering the Policy.
For example, such information may include:
- Your name and/or the name of the organisation you represent;
- the purpose of the project;
- the cost of the project;
- the amount of funding that may be sought under the Policy;
- the timeframe in which you and/or the organisation are likely to formally apply to the Policy; and
- the Minister’s subsequent decision on that application.
When advising of or submitting your application, please notify the Ministry of any objection to the disclosure or publication of any information contained therein, identifying any parts considered confidential and which should be withheld, together with the reasons for withholding them. While taking into account all such objections, the Ministry will exercise its own discretion in this matter, particularly when responding to requests for information on requests under the Official Information Act 1982.”
Regional Museums Policy: Application Checklist
Key requirement: A collection of national significance
An institution must be able to demonstrate that it holds a collection of national significance . To assist in determining the significance of the collections, museums are asked to identify and describe their collections and provide a 'statement of collection significance' explaining how and why they are nationally significant. Statements should include some detail as to the process used to determine that significance and not be merely an assertion that the collections are nationally significant.
What information must be included in this application?
In order to demonstrate that an institution meets the Policy criteria an application should specifically include the following information:
Applicant details:
- Name and address of legal entity applying for funding e.g. Trust Board, Local Authority
- Name and address of Museum/Gallery
- Contact name, position and full contact details
Project details:
- A brief and clear description of the project including any adaptation of an historic or heritage building
- Total cost of project
- Whether GST registered
- Project timeline including dates for construction and project completion
- Accurate project costs based on developed designs
- Project risks identified and assessed, and plans to mitigate these
- Total funding raised to date separated into pledged and committed/confirmed funds
- A fundraising plan for securing any other funds yet to be raised
- Amount requested from the Policy as a GST exclusive figure (this is not the shortfall between total project cost and fundraising achieved to date)
Meeting the key criterion: Collection of National Significance:
- A 'Statement of Collection Significance' describing the collections
- Description of how the institution arrived at this statement
Other criteria:
An application should also be able to demonstrate all of the following:
- the institution meets the definition of 'museum';
- ownership and governance arrangements of the museum ensure that funds allocated are for public benefit, not private gain;
- relationships with key stakeholders in the community are effective;
- all possible funding from other sources has been fully investigated and exhausted, including local authority contributions, corporate sponsorship, public fundraising, private donations or bequests and Lottery Grants Board allocations;
- financial negotiations with local authorities have been completed and funding is formally committed in the Annual Plans and Long Term Council Community Plans;
- there is a high likelihood that any resource consent applications required will be secured without difficulty;
- the New Zealand Historic Places Trust has approved redevelopment proposals which involve heritage buildings;
- the project aligns with the principles of good urban design as set out in the Ministry for the Environment’s New Zealand Urban Design Protocol;
- building plans, specifications and quantity surveying estimates for the project are completed (this design and costing work is the same as that required for a completed Lottery Grants Board application); and
- operating projections based on reasonable assumptions for at least three years following the project's completion which demonstrate the institution's long term operational viability.
Format:
- All financial figures should be shown as GST exclusive consistently throughout the application. In instances where this is not possible those figures should be clearly marked.
- With the exception of building drawings and any supporting multimedia material that may be supplied, all application documents should be submitted in an A4 format. Please do not spiral-bind A4 application documents. Instead please submit all application documents, clearly indexed, in a two-holed A4 Ring-binder
- It is preferable that all submitted building drawings are received in a format no larger than an A3 in the first instance. When submitting large numbers of A3 building drawings it is acceptable to spiral-bind these into one booklet.
- It is the responsibility of the information submitter to clearly identify any documents that they consider to be commercially sensitive and/or confidential prior to their submission to the Ministry.
Where to send the application:
Chief Executive
Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatū Taonga
PO Box 5364 Wellington
Telephone (04) 499-4229
Fax (04) 499-4490
e-mail info@mch.govt.nz