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COVID-19 info for museums and galleries
Links to resources and information to support you through the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery.
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Time Out bookstore in Auckland donates Covid-19 responses to Auckland Museum (Image courtesy of Time Out)
We support all our members and their whānau as we all work through the challenges of this evolving global pandemic. Our first priority is our people - staff, volunteers, visitors and the wider community.
Log in as a member to see the full range of resources available on this page.
Page last updated 28 August 2020.
Museum Hardship Fund open
Museum Hardship Fund - Te Papa website
Aotearoa resources and information
Resources specific to Alert Levels.
Alert Level 1
Operating safely at Alert Level 1: what you need to know - Worksafe New Zealand website
Golden rules for Alert Level 1 - Business.govt.nz website
Alert Level 2
Advice for museums and galleries in Alert Level 2
Alert Level 4
Museums in the time of coronavirus - a survey of public museums and art galleries (April 2020)
Essential services - information on access and security and MA guidance for museums (29 March 2020)
Relevant Aotearoa websites
Links to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) advice and resources on Aotearoa websites.
- Manatū Taonga, Ministry for Culture and Heritage
- Ministry of Health Manatū Hauora
- Ministry of Education Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga
- Work and Income He Hiranga Tangata
- Tourism Industry Aotearoa
- Go with Tourism
- Mental Health Foundation Mauri Tū, Maori Ora
- Charity Services Ngā Ratonga Kaupapa Atawhai
- DIA Local Government COVID-19 Response Unit (including analysis of financial implications)
- Creative New Zealand
- CERT NZ guidance on COVID-19 related scams
- SiteSafe Te Kaitiaki o Haumaru
- NZ government advice on face coverings is currently being updated.
- Regional Business Partner Network
- Government information on what the alert levels mean
Contact tracing tools
- NZ COVID Tracer App - Ministry of Health website
- CHECKIN-19 - Checkin website
- Simple Trace - Simple Trace website
- Rippl - Paperkite website
- SignIn - SignIn website
- All businesses must display an NZ COVID Tracer QR code. Get your QR code poster here.
Overseas resources
- Caring for Heritage Collections During the COVID-19 Pandemic version 2 - Government of Canada
- Preparing for re-opening - American Alliance of Museums
- Tools for identifying risks, monitoring Impacts, assessing needs - International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
- When will audiences be ready to return to museums? Infographic - Wilken Consulting
- Closed by COVID-19 - Checklist for GLAMs and Historical and Heritage Sites - Blue Shield Australia and AICCM
- Workplace information - American Alliance of Museums
- Ethics of contemporary collecting - UK Museums Association
- Coronavirus Conversations - zoom videos from UK Museums Association
- Public Health Emergencies (including collection care) - COSTEP MA (USA)
- Resources pages - American Alliance of Museums
- Museum distance learning - American Alliance of Museums
- Cuseum webinars on museum topics - Cuseum
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA)
- Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic - World Health Organisation
- Disinfecting cultural resources technical guidance - National Center for Technology Preservation and Training (USA)
- National Museum Directors Council (UK) has published this updated Museum Guidance v1.8, which differentiates between face covering and PPE.
- UK government advice on face coverings: when to wear one and how to make your own.
Advocacy
We are actively advocating for the museum and gallery sector as we face the impact of the pandemic on revenue and budgets as well as activities.
- Regular meetings being held with Manatū Taonga, Ministry for Culture & Heritage officials (currently weekly)
- Letter to Ministers for Arts, Culture & Heritage (12 June 2020) and Response from PM Jacinda Ardern (21 July 2020)
- Surveys gathering data on level of pandemic impact to support call for financial assistance and targeting funds
Subscribe to resourcing updates - Manatū Taonga, Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Impact on the sector
Reports on the impacts of COVID-19 on the museum, gallery and heritage sector.
- Local Government Sector COVID-19 Financial Implications Report 1 Initial Analysis - DIA website (PDF, 1MB)
- Local Government Sector COVID-19 Financial Implications Report 2 – Alert Level Scenarios, Assumptions and Updated Analysis - DIA website (PDF, 953KB)
- Impact of Covid-19 on the Arts and Creative Sector
Funding
You can read about the government's COVID-19 economic response package on the Treasury website.
For funds specific to the museums, gallery and heritage sector see our funding and grants page.
Events
- Friday 11 September, 1-2pm Funding for COVID recovery
- Friday 21 August, 1-2pm. Museum Hardship Fund Q&A
- Friday 7 August, 1-2pm Born Digital Collecting
- Friday 17 July, 1-2pm Visitors: what, who and when?
- Friday 3 July, 1-2pm Marketing in COVID-19 Alert Level 1
- Friday 19 June, 1-2pm Digital Opportunities
- Friday 12 June, 1-2pm Funding
- Friday 5 June, 1-2pm Innovations in Public Programming
- Friday 29 May, 1-2pm Front of House - the reality of reopening at Level 2
- Friday 22 May, 3-4.30pm Running the COVID Marathon - mental health and wellbeing in times of crisis
- Friday 15 May, 1-2pm Lunchtime kaitiaki kōrero
- Friday 8 May, 3-4pm - Zoom hui: Re-opening - what can you do at Level 2?
Where available, YouTube videos of these events are available in our publications and resources library.
Status of MA member activities
- MA20 Waitangi conference - postponed until 5-7 May 2021 (TBC). We will be communicating directly with delegates and presenters.
- 2020 ServiceIQ NZ Museum Awards - deferred to 2021.
- EMP meet-ups - cancelled
- Kahui Kaitiaki - May hui cancelled, October hui on hold
Find more content
Find all content from the Museums Aotearoa website tagged in relation to COVID-19
See our archived website with COVID-19 information during the crisis