Waihi's Gold Discovery Centre has won the ServiceIQ Best Museum Visitor Experience Award at the Museum Awards dinner held in Dunedin recently.

With seven awards up for grabs the dinner brought together museum professionals, exhibition designers, supporters and sponsors to the Toituu Otago Settlers Museum on May 7.

Waihi's Gold Discovery Centre won the the ServiceIQ Best Museum Visitor Experience Award at the Museum Awards dinner recently. Photo: GDC/Facebook

Sponsoring this year's awards was ServiceIQ, the industry training organisation for museums, tourism and other service sectors. It also introduced the Best Visitor Experience award this year.

General manager Eddie Morrow says it is fantastic to receive such high recognition on a national level so soon after opening the Gold Discovery Centre.

'We're also really pleased with winning the Best Visitor Experience category as it confirms the centre is delivering a high quality, engaging and visitor focused experience.

'Waihi can be proud of this community-driven project and the role it is playing in telling and promoting an authentic and relevant Waihi story to visitors from all around the world.”

Museums Aotearoa Executive Director Phillipa Tocker says this year's awards were better than ever.

'The number of entries and their standard just keeps going up,” says Phillipa. 'With the bar getting higher every year, the Awards are becoming even more inspirational.

'And the best thing is that we can celebrate not only the winners, but all the fantastic work being presented nationally.”

Guest judge and MC for the awards was Kiwi comedian and television personality Te Radar.

Te Radar adds: 'I am inspired to visit more of Aotearoa's diverse museums and galleries after seeing the fantastic work they do presented in these awards.”

To learn more about the centre visit the Gold Discovery Centre's website at: golddiscoverycentre.co.nz