Editorial: Museum's latest threat

OPINION: The prospect of Nelson's museum losing the funding contract which pays for specialist education programmes – a major source of visitors to its Hardy St exhibition centre – would, judging from what has been reported so far, be a bad move by the Ministry of Education.

The museum has long struggled by on limited income and inadequate facilities, even since the opening of the Hardy St site. Its education programmes have been vital in raising its prominence and its staff have strived to lift the standard of its exhibitions and its connections with the wider community. The loss of such a crucial programme would hit it hard.

But the loss would also be the region's youngsters'. In a time when the fashionable obsessions lie with the breakneck pace of technological progress, looking back at the people and forces which shaped our communities might seem quaint but is as important as ever. The museum has an enormous amount to contribute to the region; the last thing it needs is a kick in the pants from bureaucrats who apparently fail to grasp the significance of its place.

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