The national museum Te Papa has asked for feedback from staff as it considers closing its printing operation.
Speaking to Stuff news, Kate Camp from Te Papa, said the museum would look at closing the press for four to five years. She said, “Te Papa is reviewing its investment in publishing, to focus on core museum work. The proposal is to suspend publishing books for the next four to five years. Te Papa Press has produced many high-quality, award-winning books, and this review is not a reflection on the success of the press.”
Te Papa Press publishes books that are sold in the museum, online, and in bookstores around the country. The press produced the book of the year at last year’s New Zealand Post Book Awards: Peter McLeavey: The life and times of a New Zealand art dealer by Jill Trevelyan. Understandably, New Zealand authors see the closure as a wrong move and Trevalyan has penned an open letter criticising the proposal.
She writes: “The dismantling of Te Papa Press would mean such a loss to the museum – in terms of outreach, nationally and internationally, credibility as a research institution, and brand excellence. Te Papa Press is widely perceived as one of the success stories of the Te Papa project, and its highly effective staff has an enviable reputation in the museum and publishing world. If they go, print publishing at the museum will never recover.”
Historian Hamish Keith said the move demonstrated that Te Papa management misunderstood core museum business. He said, “It is museum’s core business, it’s not a peripheral extra added on like some peanuts you give away at a rugby game … Publication is the one way a museum gets beyond its doors.”
Trevalyan’s letter continues: “It alarms me that this proposal is being rushed through with great speed and secrecy: Te Papa is calling for internal submissions by 16 April. Staff have obviously been discouraged from discussing it with anyone outside the organisation.
Moreover, there is no evidence that the museum is seeking feedback from external stakeholders. Given this tight time frame, I think the best option is to contact Rick Ellis directly (rick.ellis@tepapa.govt.nz) to express dismay at the change proposal, and the secrecy with which it is being conducted.”
Unity Books has also issued a statement saying: “The suspension or closing of the press would remove an important part of the essential national dialogue on New Zealand’s artistic cultural and historical heritage. With many multi-national publishers shutting down their New Zealand publishing initiatives, it is even more important for local stories to be told by local writers and publishers. Otherwise, we risk having an uneducated society dependent on the perspective of outsiders.
“The diversity in NZ publishing of which we are so proud is fostered directly by initiatives with the record and perspective of Te Papa Press. We cannot afford to lose our role models in this field. Te Papa Press have built a reputation for illuminating, well-designed books for suitable for general interest reading and academic reference. Their absence would have a very negative effect on our customers and indeed the staff who have come to rely on their authoritative publications”
