'This is not good': Museum opening at risk of being delayed
"Unfortunately, this is likely to have a tangible impact on our progress and the anticipated opening date for the public."
The opening of Invercargill’s new museum is at risk of being delayed as the Invercargill City Council points to issues with the design of what’s inside the building - particularly around mana whenua engagement.
It has been suggested that the delays could also have cost implications on the project.
The Te Una Museum of Southland at Queens Park was initially earmarked for a mid-2026 opening date.
The build is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, before the design fit out phase takes place.
However, a council report in December stated there was issues in gaining support from iwi and the Southern Regional Collections Trust for the design of the museum experience.
In an updated report three months on, council’s programme director Lee Butcher says “securing mana whenua engagement through a contract with Waihōpai Rūnaka is in progress but is behind schedule”.
Gibson International is carrying out the experience design work but has been unable to complete the developed design.
“Unfortunately, this is likely to have a tangible impact on our progress and the anticipated opening date for the public,” Butcher’s report says.
“These issues have been further exacerbated by the Waihopai Narrative support proposal, which has raised concerns about time, cost, and scope.
“Additionally, risks related to collection access and cultural items continue to persist.”
Rūnaka Kaiwhakahaere (Chair) Cyril Gilroy said the Invercargill City Council first approached Waihōpai Rūnaka in early December to discuss contracting mana whenua to undertake cultural design engagement for the Te Unua Exhibition Experience Production.
“Mahi has since been underway to scope this project and we are in the process of finalising a contract with the council.”
Waihōpai Rūnaka will then work on behalf of Kāi Tahu Kā Rūnaka ki Murihiku (Awarua, Waihopai, Ōraka-Aparima and Hokonui) to support Invercargill City Council with this mahi.
“We are committed to working in partnership with the museum project and experience production teams to build a strong mana whenua visual and sensorial presence at Te Unua. By utilising cutting-edge audiovisual technology, we plan to develop and share authentic tribal stories to complement taoka on display at Te Unua.”
“This is an exciting project that we are looking forward to embarking on.”
Butcher pointed out the build phase was progressing well with contractor Naylor Love beginning the year positively, “with all consents and the physical building progressing smoothly”.
The design risks have prompted council staff to place the museum development into the concerning red status as part of its traffic light reporting to councillors on its various strategic projects.
At a council meeting on Tuesday, Cr Ian Pottinger raised concerns that the museum project had been highlighted in red in the report.
“Looking at the big red mark there and reading the content about time and cost implications, if this was the dashboard of your car you would pull over to the side of the road and call roadside assistance. This is not good,” Pottinger said.
Cr Darren Ludlow then interjected calling a point of order outlining it was a matter that would be addressed through an extraordinary risk and assurance meeting.
Pottinger responded: “This programme dashboard is for us to raise concerns, and I’m raising concerns.”
Pottinger went on to ask Butcher what the severity of the cost and time impacts could be on the museum project.
Butcher said: “It’s impacting Gibson’s timeline and could impact the opening of the museum and that’s why it is red. It could have a potential severe impact.”
“We are seeing some costs that are a bit more than we planned to spend but they are within our contingency threshold. It is not red; we are not coming back asking for more money. So, we are within our limits.”
I have a bet with certain people that the timing of the opening and the cost will be far and beyond what is the projected details as advised previously and heck, I am sad to say it looks like my bet is looking like a winner!!!!
Big props to Naylor Love for being on target and on time with their processes. No surprises about that. Good operators.
Bit disappointing to see two other groups cast in this light like this. Quite a hammer to throw when this is really just a signal of a potential delay in delivery. Like we didn't expect that already. It's not the council's first rodeo when it comes to dealing with multiple partners in a project. And I'm sure there's much more to this.