OPEN
MINUTE ITEM ATTACHMENTS
Ordinary meeting of the
Community
Services Committee
Thursday 24 September 2015
Commencing at 9.00am
Council Chamber
Civic House
110 Trafalgar Street, Nelson
Public Forum
A. A1434490 - Mary Gavin Broadgreen
Society Presentation 3
B. A1434501 - Tabled Document - Mary
Gavin Broadgreen Historic House Leaflet 5
Public Forum
A. A1432957 - Tabled Document - Gail
Collingwood's Presentation 6
Public Forum
A. A1431573 - Tabled Document -
Nelson Community Law - Peter Riley 9
B. A1431581 - Tabled Document 2 -
Refugee Services - Peter Riley and Thuang Thuang 10
Comments
for Public Forum of Community Services Committee 24 Sept 2015
I
am Mary Gavin, Chair of Broadgreen Society. My written report is on page 10 of
your meeting papers
To
recap - The Broadgreen Society represents a group of volunteers whose key
commitment is to the preservation of Broadgreen Historic House and its contents
and to facilitating the enjoyment of the House by all interested people.
We
have been doing this for 50 years.
Broadgreen
Historic House is recognised locally, nationally and internationally and
features in many publications. As recently as last Monday a glowing 5 star
review was posted on Trip Advisor by visitors from Tasmania praising the
uniqueness of the House and also the services of the guide.
We
were disappointed that no member of this Community Services Committee, except
the Mayor, accepted the invitation to attend the Society AGM last Friday.
We
know that you are busy -
and
so are we.
Guides
are rostered 7 days a week and provide nearly 3,000 voluntary hours every year,
not counting all the extra events and out of hours visits we also support. For
example, last Friday we honoured Janette Dimery for 45 years of continuous
service as a guide and farewelled Denis Le Cren after 20 continuous years of
enormous practical and far ranging work as a committee member.
Referring
to my written report – page 10 of your papers
In
relation to point A, we were very pleased to have a resolution to the question
of winter opening and have now received formal written reassurance that support
from NCC staff during winter hours will be available if required – this
is an important factor in our Health and Safety plan.
In relation to Point B, I want to remind you that the changes that are to be made under the 4th
section of the staff Recommendation – page 11 on your Agenda - are
changes to current legally agreed documents so the process must be handled very
thoughtfully.
We
have received an explanation from NCC staff re the time lines which impact on
the ability to consider the Lease negotiations four years prior to the expiry
of the Lease.
Nevertheless,
the Heritage Activity Management Plan, which is the basis for these
restructuring proposals covers 2015-2025, and there are other Agenda items you
are considering today which involve financial commitments to events as far away
as 2025. I see you are also discussing Lease arrangements in another context
today. So we do consider it is valid for awareness of the Broadgreen Centre
Lease to be noted concurrently with the other financial arrangements
negotiations. In particular Clause E of the lease agreement is
relevant.
Additional
to my written report, I would like to comment on the 3rd section of
Recommendation [Item 11 on Agenda and p 94 of your meeting papers] which
is:
AND THAT commencing 1
November 2015 all revenue from house entrance fees and souvenir sales now be
retained by Council and is used to fund heritage promotions, exhibitions and
other activities;
We have some reservations about this and
in particular the practicality of this time line, 1 November 2015. The
previous curator left in December last year, but it now seems unlikely that a
replacement staff member will have been appointed by 1 November or that the
financial responsibility renegotiations will have been concluded.
Our concerns are around continuity of
the work done by the Society for the last 20 years e.g. the promotion and
publicity for Broadgreen House, collaboration on exhibitions and programmes,
providing for guides’ welfare, expenses etc. Section 5.5 on page 97
refers to increased visitor numbers due to the promotional work of summer
tertiary students – these students were recruited, trained, supervised
and funded entirely by the Broadgreen Society. We are planning another project
this summer.
I suggest that the timeline in this
Recommendation is amended.
Conclusion
Initially Broadgreen Society welcomed
the opportunities that the restructuring offered but in reality it has been a
stressful, uncertain, very time consuming and at times quite an unpleasant
experience – which is not what we volunteer for.
We look forward to exciting developments
for Broadgreen Historic House and to more positive commitment to whole tourism
heritage sector in Nelson.
Broadgreen Historic House
Report R 4770 Comments from Gail Collingwood
Speaking for National Council of Women Nelson Branch
Former NCC rep to the Broadgreen Society – approx 12
years
Following Cllr Jo Raine
Cllr Elma Turner
Cllr Betsy Eyre
5 Councillors 1996 – 2015 = 50 years – (These four
women were NCW members)
NCW wrote to council in July expressing concern about the
proposed winter closing.
The branch, in particular delegates who are also Broadgreen
Historic house guides were delighted to hear of the NCC compromise decision
allowing the volunteers to get back to guiding and reopen this highly graded
historic house.
This is an extremely special house, regarded as a very fine
example of this type of construction and graded as such by Heritage NZ. Council
should hold the house and contents, in high regard and have a real sense of
pride in the ownership of such an important Victorian property.
The responsibility to protect this treasure and deliver
against the Heritage NZ obligations to preserve and protect a Category 1
building sits with NCC.
Committed, reliable volunteer guides regard it as a privilege
to work at Broadgreen Historic House to have the doors open 363 days each year.
Some have delivered their responsibilities as guides with passion and energy
for decades.
NCW ask you to value the special contribution these volunteers
are making to support the city of Nelson.
The branch also supports the proposal to return to full
opening hours Oct - May. It is positive to read in 5.5 that during the
employment of student’s last summer visitor numbers increased. This
outcome is applauded. It is hoped that this example will follow through with
the new staff appointment and the collaborative heritage promotion and
marketing proposed.
I draw your attention to this brochure produced some time ago
– council was not ready at that time to contribute to printing costs
– this is a fine example of collaboration, local and right across the top
of the south.
The last paragraph of the resolution in the report proposes
that a new financial agreement be “negotiated” with the society
– however the prior paragraph indicates financial changes commence on 1
November.
These two paragraphs seem to be in conflict with each other
and when the attachment is read it would seem the financial change proposed to
start on 1 November is pre emptive of discussions and the proposed negotiations
– it is suggested that the paragraph in regard to the retention of fees
might be removed as surely it would form part of the new financial agreement
yet to be discussed and negotiated?
Since information was in the media in
regard to comparative income and expenditure across the three heritage houses,
questions have been raised about the management of the houses. 5.3 & 5.4
provides some information that lacks background detail, all three houses have different agreements and deliver differently it
is impossible to compare them at the current time.
Although
media reports indicate that Melrose House will look for funding assistance from
council for toilet upgrades and has done so in the past - surely NCC staff time
was allocated for the earthquake strengthening and ground maintenance?
Is the
full story able to be told about the works of Cllr Jo Raine, Chairperson John
Phillips and long time volunteer committee member Denis Le Cren who raised all
the money for the Broadgreen Centre to ensure paid staff had warm dry office
space to work in and for the collection to be stored in a controlled
temperature room.
In
appreciation NCC agreed to pay for electricity, insurance, phone, and
water costs to ensure that paid staff are able to work in acceptable health and
safety conditions with power and phone connections.
Staff
previously worked in the small china pantry and the house bathroom both south
and east facing, fabrics were stored under beds in non approved conservation
conditions.
Other
costs for the administration/ancillary building such as carpet cleaning,
painting, provision of shelving etc are covered by the Society. These
facts are overlooked.
5.15 of
the report indicates that the new staff appointment is to work across all four
facilities, proposed to be 26 hours per week, Divided by four and allowing
travel time 22 km – outcome approx 6 hours per week per facility. Sick
days and leave not included.
If an
exhibition is to be held requiring for example 5 working days (volunteers
assisting) would this mean it would be another month before paid staff might be
back at Broadgreen Historic house?
To
conclude – as a personal comment all the documents refer simply to
Broadgreen or Broadgreen House, over time the society has inserted the word
Historic as a point of difference from Broadgreen Intermediate School which is
referred to in Stoke as Broadgreen.
Might I
suggest that consideration is given to including the word Historic in the title
for this house and for that matter for the other two houses also? e.g
Broadgreen Historic House?
I believe
this enhances the status of the buildings and enhances their importance and
prominence for Nelson City.
Please
value and embrace our heritage it cannot be replaced as Christchurch has found
and there are few NCC owned buildings with the exception of Civic house that
might ever make heritage status.
Gail
Collingwood.
