Otago Museum

The Otago Museum Trust Board has "confirmed" to Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Chris Finlayson that it is looking after the museum's collections properly.

The "honeymoon" is over for the commercial stars of the Otago Museum - the butterflies of the Tropical Forest.

About 61,000 people have visited the Otago Settlers Museum since July last year, exceeding the 56,321 visitor target for the period.

"They're at it again'' might well be a common reaction to the Museum of New Zealand's continuing attempts to bolster its own collection at the cost of regional museums, such as the Otago Museum, for the sense of injustice about the Wellington museum's practices remains undiluted after 20 years.

These days the Otago Settlers Association and the Otago Settlers Museum are much more inclusive than they once were.

Not content with recently smashing one attendance record, visitors are still pouring into the Otago Museum, making an eventual new annual record a likelihood barely five months into the new financial year.

The Japan Australia New Zealand Society, has donated 19 traditional Japanese Noh Gaku masks to the Otago Museum.

A merger of the Otago Museum and the Otago Settlers Museum appears to have foundered last year because of settlers museum staff concerns about the "culture" of the Otago Museum.

More than 600,000 people have visited the Otago Museum during a "great year", museum organisers say.