codified in the committee's governance principles as "the right to advise". The Auckland Museum Institute has a role in the governance of Auckland Museum by appointing four members to the Museum Trust Board. The institute was established in 1867 and is an independent voluntary run organisation. It is the Auckland branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi and also does public outreach and education. Council members listed in 2022 were: Roger Lins (President), Scott Pilkington (Vice President), Marguerite Durling, Helen Bull, Marilyn Kohlhase and Rosemary Barraclough. List of directors The following is a list of directors to date, the first three of whom used the title "Curator": Controversies Hillary estate The papers and memorabilia of the late Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest, are held in the Museum. In 2009, the museum was involved in legal action with Hillary's children, Peter and Sarah Hillary, over publishing rights to his papers. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key offered to mediate, and his offer was accepted and the matter resolved amicably. In 2013 the Sir Edmund Hillary Archive was registered on the UNESCO New Zealand Memory of the World. Vitali tenure The appointment and activities of Vanda Vitali, a Canadian citizen who served as Director from 2007 until her resignation in 2010, saw a number of highly disputed changes in the museum, with numerous staff being made redundant, or having to reapply for their positions. The museum also charged a controversial "donation" for entry (while still claiming to provide free entry), despite a museum levy being part of the regional rates. Vitali was roundly criticised for many of her actions by a number of former staff and public figures, such as editorialist Pat Booth, who accused her of downplaying the "War Memorial" element of the museum name and function, as well as by former finance head of the museum, Jon Cowan, who in a letter to the New Zealand Herald argued after her resignation that she was responsible for a significant fall in visitor numbers and visitor satisfaction during her tenure. He also claimed that these statistics had ceased to be published in the second year of Vitali's work at the museum, given the clear negative trends of her initial year. Notes References External links 1920s architecture in New Zealand Auckland Domain War Memorial Museum Military and war museums in New Zealand