$1.5m grant for Whakatāne Museum

An artist’s impression of the redeveloped Whakatāne Museum and Research Centre. Supplied Image.

Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry announced a $1.5 million grant today for the redevelopment of Whakatāne's Museum and Research Centre.

The minister says the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund grant will enable the museum to display more of its impressive collections, redevelop and earthquake strengthen its building.

'The museum's extensive collections reflect the Bay of Plenty's history from the 1860s onwards and include archaeological material, rare books and photographs – some 600,000 images and 100,000 objects in total.”

Highlights include two rare items connected to the voyages of James Cook - a Resolution & Adventure Medal and a try pot dating from his second journey to New Zealand in 1773.

There is also a substantial taonga Māori collection, with items from Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Rangitīhī and Te Whakatōhea, and the internationally significant Te Kōhika Collection of prehistoric archaeological material.

'Currently just a small part of the collections are accessible at any one time and the public, including researchers, need better access to ensure they remain relevant and meaningful to them,” says Maggie.

The redevelopment will also see a new lift to improve accessibility, an education and teaching space, improved working areas for staff and energy-efficient climate control.

'I would like to acknowledge the work of local MP Hon Anne Tolley, who has been a major advocate and supporter for this important community project.”

Construction is due to start early in the New Year and is expected to take around 12 months to complete.

Whakatāne Museum and Research Centre becomes the second recipient of funding from the newly reconfigured Regional Culture & Heritage Fund, following a grant to the Nelson School of Music announced earlier this month.

For more information about the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund visit the Ministry for Culture and Heitage's website.

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7 comments

That's nice. but ...

Posted on 27-10-2016 10:38 | By Crash test dummies

The fact is that the more Council spends, the bigger it is then the more it will cost ratepayers every year thereafter. Museums cost some rates and some, likely of the order of millions in annual losses. These places are simply a drain on an economy, they suck out peoples money and spend it on the continuance of these nefarious edifices and simply stifle good business from contributing more.


Ba humbug JAFFA

Posted on 27-10-2016 11:40 | By Scoop

Thank goodness not everyone has the same opinion than you, although you are perfectly entitled to express it. I can't wait for Tauranga to have it's own museum and surely we can get the Council, along with corporate support to make this happen sooner rather than later. I am more than willing to contribute to such a cause through my rates and I'm sure I'm not the only one.


Tauranga, with larger population, has no museum.....

Posted on 27-10-2016 13:29 | By SML

The Whakatane district has a population of 34,400. The largest urban area Whakatane, with a population of 18,750. Tauranga City is the centre of the fifth largest urban area in New Zealand, with an urban population of 134,400 (June 2016), and a much larger surrounding area.So, how does Whakatane afford a museum, and Tauranga "can't" ?


Bay Museum

Posted on 27-10-2016 14:05 | By PaulM

Great that Whakatane can have it's own Museum - why cannot Tauranga join in instead of spending so much money on what a special few want as a so called museum.I would expect that both museums would have similar cultural crap anyway so why double up ?


@ Scoop

Posted on 27-10-2016 15:50 | By Crash test dummies

I have absolutely no problem with you paying your rates to waste on a museum, go to it, you will find few others so silly and that will mean say $1m a year each to pay the $8m losses each year. On that basis you don't need Council to be involved. That means no need of mega more staff, mega more losses and more waste than can be believed. The reality is here, that TCC has already provided money to investigate "Community Funding" and that was a complete flop, no one fronted with any money and no one wanted to. The message is also clear that 85% of ratepayers don't want TCC to pay or have debt or have losses added to rates. Don't you understand what that means? To state the obvious the "VAST" majority of ratepayers don't want it if they have to pay for it, understand?


@ SML

Posted on 27-10-2016 16:01 | By Crash test dummies

Because Tauranga citizens are awake, sensible on the whole, they have not been stupid enough to waste a fortune on this madness. The other side of it, Wakatane, yes fine they have one WOW .... "NOT", the price they pay is about 8-10% of there annual rates, huge amount more in debt and liable for decades for the bills and debt.Who would want any of that?


@ PaulM

Posted on 27-10-2016 20:24 | By Crash test dummies

True, the facts are clearly shown by the Katikati attempt, it closed even when it had a huge guarantee from ratepayers for the bank debt. The end result it failed and the Council/ratepayers are then left carrying the baby for these silly stupid self indulgent mad-cap ideas of a few obsessed Muppets and related parties. How dare they spend money themselves on what a few want and expect all to pay for decades.


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