Canterbury Museum is encouraging people to support the Museum in its bid to secure funding from local and central Government to complete the construction phase of the redevelopment.
David Ayers, Chair of the Museum Trust Board says,”We’re grateful to our local authority funders and central government for their support to date, but inflation, escalating construction costs and funding delays have now increased the Museum project cost by 27%, since 2023, to $261.9 million.
“Further delays in securing the extra capital will just keep adding to the cost – $7.2 million a year – and will push the opening date to 2030,” David Ayers says.
Canterbury Museum is seeking an additional $32 million from its local authority funders over four years from 2026/27 to help complete the construction of its Rolleston Avenue redevelopment. At the end of last year, the Museum submitted requests for extra capital to Christchurch City Council for $26.9 million, Selwyn District ($2.4 million), Waimakariri District ($2.1 million) and Hurunui District Council for $300,000.
Last year, Museum consultants used a Quantitative Risk Assessment approach to review and confirm a robust final cost for the redevelopment to support its capital funding request to Councils. This method is commonly used by public bodies for calculating contingency on large projects.
David Ayers says the outcome of that work indicated that the Museum needed a higher contingency allowance to complete the final two construction stages – the new basement and building, and their fit-out – to give greater confidence that the project cost or schedule wouldn’t be exceeded. The contingency allowance has been increased to $9.8 million, and a six-month delay in securing additional funding has added $5.1 million.
The Museum had hoped to secure additional capital last year so that the final two stages of construction could be completed simultaneously, which would have delivered cost savings.
“Throughout the redevelopment project, we’ve continued to undertake value engineering and make compromises to reduce costs. We’ve now exhausted all feasible options for reducing costs without undermining the building's functionality or asset life,” says David Ayers.
The Museum has made a request to central Government for $32 million over four years, through Hon James Meager MP, Minister for the South Island.
Councils are soon to start consulting on their Annual Plans. Christchurch City Council will consult on the proposal that it considers funding the restoration of four iconic buildings, including the Museum, in the 2027 Long Term Plan.
David Ayers says, “We hope that everyone who loves the Museum will make a submission and support continued council and government investment so we can reopen the Museum on schedule in mid-2029.
“We fully support Christchurch City’s proposal to fund the city’s four iconic heritage buildings. Of these, the Museum is the only one that is actively under construction. Progress on site is significant and ongoing. Continued financial support now will protect this momentum and ensure the redevelopment is delivered efficiently, without disruption, more cost escalation, or loss of workforce capability.
Canterbury Museum is a significant heritage building and one of the last major public buildings to be fully upgraded and reopened since the Canterbury earthquakes.
“It’s also much more than a public attraction and shouldn’t be viewed solely through the heritage buildings we occupy,” David Ayers says. “The services we deliver define our public value. We care for a collection of 2.3 million objects which tell the stories and history of Canterbury and the people who live here. We look after an internationally significant Antarctic collection and a quarter of Aotearoa New Zealand’s nationally distributed collection. Like libraries, museums are critical civic infrastructure, central to learning, identity, discovery and cultural life.”
ENDS
Notes:
- Canterbury Museum receives annual operational funding from Christchurch City and Hurunui, Selwyn and Waimakariri District Councils, based on a population and distance from the Museum formula, under the terms of the Canterbury Museum Trust Board Act 1993.
- The Museum has secured funding to complete the new base-isolated basement and building, but only to the point that they are weatherproof and insurable. Work started on this stage of the project in October last year and is due to be completed in early 2028.
- Funding for the redevelopment has come from the Museum’s own funds ($63.4 million), private donations ($1.05 million), grants and Lotteries funding ($850,000), central government ($35 million) and local government ($69.8 million). This includes $24.5 million from Christchurch City Council for the base-isolation and strengthening of the Robert McDougall Gallery which is being incorporated into the redevelopment. The Museum has a long-term lease on the Council-owned building.
- The Museum is proposing to charge an entry charge for overseas visitors. New Zealanders would continue to have free entry, recognising their contribution through local rates and taxes. Special exhibitions, including international blockbusters will also have an entry fee.