From performing arts to motorsport, museum to a slower pace of driving – we chat with Brian Budd about his time at Central Stories and his plans for the future.

Brian Budd made the move from race car driver and a career in motorsport leadership, all the way to Central Otago, for a quieter life. 

Having been behind the wheel at Central Stories in Alexandra for just over a year, he is now changing gear again, to achieve that quiet life he came here for. 

Brian had been living in Wellington for over 30 years, working in various roles in the performing arts sector, then holding the role of CEO of Motorsport NZ for ten years. 

“I got to the stage in my life where I wanted a more relaxed lifestyle,” he says. 

“Over the years, I had spent a lot of time in Central Otago and have really good friends down here, so in 2019 I took the opportunity to move.”

Brian says he took a job driving shuttle vans for the bike trails. He was still driving, albeit at a slower pace, could enjoy people and the wonderful outdoors.

That job came to an end through Covid last year.

“I’m the sort of person that needs to be working, so when the Central Stories role came up, I thought it’s something I know and enjoy.

“I’ve been in the not-for-profit sector most of my working life; I understand the sector and quite enjoy the challenge of it.”

Brian says the hardest thing for non-profits is lack of financial security and having to make the most of a small amount of resources. Finding money is an on-going challenge.

“I was keen to give it a go; I’ve always been interested in the arts and in museums.”

He got the job and says he has really enjoyed it. Putting a calendar of exhibitions together and overseeing management of the museum collection proved to be enjoyable challenges.

“I had some ideas about turning Central Stories into a cultural hub for the region and investigated avenues for revenue which were more commercial in nature than what was currently in place.”

Those ideas resulted in Central Stories becoming a venue for several very successful concerts, with up to one hundred people attending each event.

“We also presented a wide variety of exhibitions from painting to photography to WoolOn winning garments.

Brian hosted the recent WoolOn Winning Garments exhibition and expo at Central Stories.

“But I think the one that really stands out for me was the one titled ‘We Drove Here’, an exhibition which showcased the history of early motoring in this region.

The exhibition had been put together five years ago by the Otago Motor Club trust and curated by the Hocken library. Brian secured the exhibition and personalised it for a Central Otago audience.

They had cars on display and it generated a lot of interest.

“My idea was to put on a wide variety of exhibitions, so Central stories appealed to a broader cross-section of the population.

“Certainly, the motoring one brought in males, it re-ignited memories of the past, and of stories passed down.

“It wasn’t simply about cars, it told a story of the social aspects of motoring at the time.”

Brian says although there is always more that could be done, he is proud of what he achieved in a relatively short space of time.

He managed to secure funds, including to upgrade the museum to a cloud-based IT system, but says money will continue to be one of the biggest challenges for Central Stories.

“The technology upgrade and improving the website was in response to that first Covid lockdown.

“The existing computer system wasn’t able to be operated from outside the building, so we were hamstrung in terms of operating through lockdowns.

“In this last lockdown, I was able to take the laptop home, crank it up and there I was, right on the server.”

However, current Covid-related funding is not sustainable, he says. There will need to be a forward-thinking financial strategy.

“And of course the latest financial challenge has been the loss of funding from Central Otago District Council," he explains.

“The other big challenge for Central Stories is that we rely on volunteers.

“After last year, it became apparent that a lot of our volunteers were unable to continue in the Covid environment.

“Any not-for-profit that relies on volunteers has the same challenge.”

Despite the challenges, Brian says the museum has a good future ahead.

“It’s a fantastic museum, and a fantastic asset for the community.

“Visitors just rave about it; they come away with a really good understanding of the history of this area.

“The collection is outstanding; for example in this building we hold a collection of wooden moulds for gold dredge parts – it’s got to be the most significant collection of dredge moulds anywhere in the world.

“There’s been criticism levelled at us that the museum is static – museums are like that.

“History doesn’t change.

“Te Papa has a permanent display that hasn’t changed since it opened, a lot of the displays at Otago museum haven’t changed ever.

“However, the advantage those museums have over Central Stories is they have huge spaces to bring in larger exhibitions that have popular public appeal, and that becomes the point of difference, the change that brings people back time after time.

“The art gallery here creates our point of difference; exhibitions that change regularly bring the locals back in.

“It’s the only community art gallery in Central Otago, so it’s the jewel in the crown really.”

Brian hopes people will start to appreciate just what they have in Central Stories and protect it for future generations.

“We have a responsibility to preserve our history and what came before us.

“We’re also making new history all the time, so we need to be collecting stuff from today.

“At the end of the day, our history is what defines us.”

So, what’s in Brian’s future? He says with a smile he’s going back to driving shuttles for the bike trails.

“It’s not stressful, I’m driving again, and I’m back outdoors in the Central Otago landscapes which I love.

“It suits me down to the ground.”

Brian has been into motorsports all his life, competing in rallies and hill climbs since the mid-70s. As CEO of Motorsport NZ, he had spent time in Cromwell working closely with Tony Quinn on the building of the Highlands circuit. He loves racing, and loves driving.

And now, he’s back behind the wheel again – at a quieter pace.

Images supplied