Alexandra District Museum Incorporated chairwoman Mary Ann Baxter said taking Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery into the future was why they had created the long-term plan.
Feedback during consultation so far had shown how loved Central Stories was and keeping it thriving was vital, Mrs Baxter said.
Getting funding right was the key to the future, she said.
"Between 2015 and 2025 our staffing has halved ... in 2015 we had 2.75 full-time equivalents and now we have got 1.4.
"And then we look at things like door count numbers we actually, per staff member, are having many more come through than we were.
"The staff we’ve got have done a phenomenal job in making sure we have a place that is punching well above its weight.’’
Consultation on the proposed 20-year plan had been extended to ensure as many groups as possible had seen the document and had an opportunity to contribute, she said.
While ambitious, the plan was very much a series of stages.
Central Otago District Council funding had allowed the board to create the plan using expert advice and dream big, Mrs Baxter said.
However, without secure funding it would be difficult to move forward with certainty.
"Really, the most significant thing we must do is get to a place where our funding is [secure].
"We’ve set up a fundraising committee, which is looking beyond what we get from various funders who certainly ensure we could keep going with contestable funding.
"But we’ve got to get ourselves in the space where we’ve got more of a buffer that will allow us to say, ‘yes, we can see we will be sustainable’. That’s what our goal is."
A museum designer had been engaged and has already offered simple, low-cost ideas that could add to the existing space along with more ambitious plans once funds allowed.
"We always say we’re rightly ambitious, but we’ve got to put everything in a row … to strengthen our foundations.
"The first phase of growth from 2026 to 2030 is about that," Mrs Baxter said.
