-
Source: ONE News -
Watch Video
Controversial Auckland War Memorial Museum director Vanda Vitali has resigned.
Canada-born Vitali's three years at the museum have been dogged by disputes which saw her at odds with members of World War II Bomber Command and the family of Mt Everest conqueror, the late Sir Edmund Hillary.
Auckland Museum Trust Board chairman William Randall announced on Tuesday that by mutual agreement, Vitali had quit and will finish work at the museum on April 9.
Vitali has instigated several initiatives to modernise the organisational structure, public offerings and overall relevance and value of Auckland Museum on local, national and international levels, Randall says.
These include a complete organisational restructure and implementation of key employee development programmes, including performance planning and performance-based remuneration.
But last year the museum's board acknowleged that a dispute with the Hillary family had damaged the institution's reputation.
Sir Ed's children, Peter and Sarah, had threatened legal action against the museum in a bid to regain control of his diaries, writings and family photographs.
In his will, Sir Ed bequeathed his personal papers to the museum with the proviso that his children would have access to them as they saw fit and control of them for 20 years.
The Hillary family had a bitter public fight with the museum over how Sir Ed's will should be interpreted.
A court battle between the two parties was finally averted in July after the intervention of Prime Minister John Key's office.
Randall says then that the museum will have to work hard to repair the damage the row has done to its reputation.
He said at that time Vitali and the Hillary family had not had a good relationship.
In 2008, Vitali upset World War II veterans when she overturned an agreement by former director Rodney Wilson to place a Bomber Command memorial in the museum.
The memorial - a 467kg sculpture - was to be placed in a site suggested by Wilson, but the plan was scuttled after fears it would overshadow other displays.
Vitali was blamed for the move and criticised by veterans who suggested the turnaround was disrespectful and the museum was reneging on an agreement.
In November 2008 the museum and veterans finally reached agreement on the unveiling and display of the memorial.
Randall says that among the achievements of Vitali are her successes in revitalising the museum's public programmes and exhibitions, and the development of a strong strategic vision for the institution which relied on a project-centric approach.
Vitali says she is "very proud of what we have achieved in the past three years at the museum, particularly with regards to increasing the relevance of this iconic institution to the people of Auckland and New Zealand".
"Much of the work I was charged with when I was recruited has been completed, and we are beginning to see a wonderful public response.
"Aucklanders are coming back to their museum again, enjoying the exhibitions and programmes, and participating in informed debates on major scientific and cultural topics.
"This is a great thing for an evolving city. But the board's vision and mine are diverging and as such we have reached a mutual agreement that it is appropriate that a new director is appointed to see the museum through the next phase of its development."
Randall says that for a variety of reasons, Vitali has chosen to take her talents elsewhere and the trust board is grateful to her for the energy, dedication and expertise she has demonstrated.
He says an interim director will be named shortly and a search to identify Vitali's successor will begin immediately.
