After a year of reports, discussions and concerns, the Southland Museum and Art Gallery (SMAG) board has officially accepted ownership of the pyramid building belongs to the Invercargill City Council.
Board members received during a meeting on Thursday a report by museum and heritage services manager Wayne Marriott, who researched all trust minutes since 1940 about the matter.
The confusion started in February last year, when Invercargill City Council chief executive Clare Hadley advised the board she had received legal advice saying the museum building was, in fact, owned by the city council.
At the time, the board was surprised and requested evidence.
In June, during a meeting the board decided to not contest the ownership, but six months later, board member and Friends of the Museum representative trustee Christine Henderson raised concerns again about the matter, saying she was worried other parties from the Southland community would not able to have their say in discussions about the future of the building.
After more than a year, board members on Thursday accepted the report’s recommendation they were "satisfied that the ownership of the collective buildings belongs with Invercargill City Council".
The clear word used in all documentation was "vested" and when the building opened, the trust assumed responsibility for its interior, while responsibility for the structure of the building was vested with the council,
Mr Marriott said.
"All documentation collected clearly states there was never a handover of the building to the museum trust board."
Member Roger Eagles highlighted a part in his report which stated that, in 1994, the fixed assets and the building were included on the balance sheet of the trust.
He was worried, as both entities could not claim the buildings as assets at the same time.
Mr Marriott said he was unable to answer that but could confirm from that date the building appeared in the books of the trust.
He would request clarification from the council’s finance team, he said.
Chairman Darren Ludlow said both organisations were audited by the office of the auditor-general.
"They would pick up on that."
The recommendation was unanimously approved.
