Museum build on budget; uncertainty over operational costs

“I can assure you we are currently tracking within budget."

Council staff have confirmed Invercargill’s new museum build is tracking within its $87 million budget.

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Council staff have confirmed Invercargill’s new museum build is tracking within its $87 million budget.

Although it remains unclear just what the ongoing operational costs will be when it is opened and fully staffed.

The timeframe for when it will open to the public also remains uncertain.

On Tuesday, councillors were provided an update on the progress of the Te Unua Museum of Southland build at Queens Park.

A key focus was timelines and when the new museum might open. There have been suggestions that it is likely to be sometime in 2027, despite earlier hopes that it would be 2026.

Cr Ian Pottinger took the opportunity to seek a guarantee that the project would not cost more than the $87m price tag that has been budgeted.

He asked if it could hit the $100m mark.

“It’s a long way away, 2027… Can we be guaranteed that ($87m) is it, there is no more [budget increase]?” Pottinger said.

Council’s capital portfolio group manager Jamie Garnett said he had been constantly reminded by council CEO Michael Day and Project Lead Cr Grant Dermody that there was no additional budget for the museum project.

“I can assure you we are currently tracking within budget,” Garnett said.

Pottinger also quizzed staff on what the operational cost of the museum would be to the council when it eventually does open.

“You really haven’t got any idea, have you?” Pottinger said.

Garnett said the operational requirements would be a different proposition compared to the old Southland Museum & Art Gallery, so work still needed to be done on that cost.

Cr Dermody pointed out $4m had already been flagged in the council’s Long-Term Plan for the museum’s operational costs, so there was a budget for that.

Although he acknowledged Pottinger’s question was a fair one.

“We need confidence that [the operational costs] can be delivered within that budget,” Dermody said.

Council CEO Michael Day said recruiting staff to fill key positions for the museum would start in the coming “weeks, months”.

“The recruitment market being as it is, that will be the challenge for the next few months for us,” Day said.

When will the museum open?…

There were initially suggestions that the museum would be open to the public in 2026, but it appears it will end up being sometime in 2027.

Nick Hamlin told councillors he did not want to put a timeframe on the museum given some of the risks that are still being worked through, most notably around the design of the experience inside the building.

“I think it would be remiss of us to commit to a timeline until we are really confident that we’ve got those areas well known, and a plan around them,” Hamlin said.

One option would be a staged opening. It would see certain parts opened to the public when they are ready, and other parts at a later date.

That option did not appear to appeal to many sitting around the council table on Tuesday.

Cr Steve Broad was not a fan of a staged opening option.

“The line has been used around this table plenty of times; ‘do it once, do it right’.

“Wow, has been used around this table plenty of times as well, so does a stage opening impact the wow factor?” Broad said.

Hamlin said it had the potential to impact it.

Cr Darren Ludlow said there were risks in “thumping the table and trying to put a magical date” on the museum opening.

“The risk is it goes terribly wrong, and we don’t meet it. And also, the risk of trying to accelerate things and the cost goes up.

“I would much rather keep the costs under control because that’s the feedback I get from a lot of people, making sure that it doesn’t blow out,” Ludlow said.

Council staff said they will be in a better position to provide more detail around timeframes in three to six months.

Ludlow suggested any statements before then by elected members were purely political.

“We can’t wave a magic wand and make things happen. I saw some very interesting statements in a media form around when things can be done, and maybe we could change contractors.

“Well, the person making that doesn’t have the authority to take those actions anyway.”

Mayor Nobby Clark has been particularly vocal on his view that the museum should be open next year, and the council staff should get on with making that happen.

He had indicated he would challenge staff at Tuesday’s meeting to do that. Although health issues meant Clark was unable to attend.

Cr Dermody said while there was frustration around wanting to know when the museum would be open, it was also important to look at how far the project has travelled to date.

“If we just pause and look back for a minute at what has happened at that site… two years ago there was a pyramid there. Now there is a completely new base build that will be finished near Christmas,” Dermody said.