Join us: We need your ethical dilemmas!

The Museums Aotearoa Ethics Subcommittee, formed in 2024, set out to shore up our own Code of Ethics so it is as helpful and practical as possible for members. 

In the past there was an unhelpful overlap with our own Code of Ethics and that put forward by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). 

The team’s approach has been to develop a suite of complementary principles and corresponding application guidance, rather than a set of rules.

This reflects Aotearoa’s unique working environment including advice that promotes meaningful governance relationships with iwi Māori, repatriation, WAI262 and approaches to decolonisation. The suggested principles do this while also aligning with the ICOM Code of Ethics (itself currently up for review).

Eligible members will have the opportunity to vote on suggested changes to the Code of Ethics at this year’s AGM.

Ahead of that, we welcome your ethical dilemmas past, present or imagined so we might give the new framework a dry run. 

Please join us for our Ethics in Action Online Meeting

When: Wednesday 30th April 2-3pm

Where: Zoom 

Chaired by: Victoria Esson, MA Ethics Subcommittee member. 

Agenda:

• What are your views on the suggested principles?
• What ethical dilemmas have you faced in your work that we might usefully use as case studies to raise the bar across the sector? Real life situations could include;

- Challenges concerning the ethical selling of collection objects or artworks

- What happens when you have an artist working on staff

- What to do if your curator is collecting in the same area that the museum collects

- How to deal with contested provenance of taonga Māori.

You can read the draft framework here.