Managing collectionsTe whakahaere kohinga taonga
Learn about managing your museum’s or gallery’s collection, from your acquisition policy to cataloguing and insurance.
On this page:
Acquisition and deaccession policies
Processing objects
Collection management systems
Valuing and insuring collections
Found Māori objects (taonga tūturu)
Acquisition and deaccession policies
How do you make decisions about acquiring or no longer keeping collection items? Every museum needs a framework for such decisions. This guide, from National Services Te Paerangi, aims to help you develop suitable policies for that framework.
A Guide to Collection Rationalisation (3.53 MB)
Developing Your Collection: Acquisition and Deaccession Policies – He Rauemi Resource Guide (748.84 KB)
Deaccessioning process fact sheet (125.91 KB)
Deaccessioning Disposal Form (12.96 KB)
Collection Rationalisation Flowchart (348.30 KB)
Deaccessioning Guidelines Checklist (Canadian Museums Association) (1.81 MB)
The Vernon User Group 2021 panel on YouTube: Going going gone – deaccessioning unpacked
Our guide to guardians of iwi treasures may also be relevant:
A Guide to Guardians of Iwi Treasures – He Rauemi Resource Guide (770.55 KB)
Processing objects
Manage incoming items, from donation to cataloguing and storage, with our object entry flow chart.
Object entry flow chart (167.24 KB)
Applying accession numbers
Learn how to apply accession numbers to non-porous stone, glazed ceramics, glass, and uncoated metals with this guide from National Services Te Paerangi, or watch our videos below.
Applying an accession number (552.94 KB)
How-to videos
Collection management systems
Are you planning to change how you manage information about your collection? Do you want to transfer it to a computer system? Or change your current software set-up? This guide, from National Services Te Paerangi, outlines a process to help you decide what will work best for you.
Deciding on Digital Tools for Collection Management – He Rauemi Resource Guide (563.16 KB)
The following are examples of collection management systems:
Mukurtu (developed in partnership with indigenous communities)
Valuing and insuring collections
Have you done a valuation of your collection? Most museums and art galleries are legally required to do so. What do you value? How do you go about doing a valuation? This guide, from National Services Te Paerangi, aims to tell you how.
Valuing Collections – He Rauemi Resource Guide (646.38 KB)
Found Māori objects (taonga tūturu)
Someone found a Māori object and brought it to your museum – what next?
Newly found Māori objects, or taonga tūturu, are in the first instance Crown-owned to allow for claims of ownership. The Ministry for Culture and Heritage must be notified of the object. See the ministry’s website for more information.