We're building a new Museum for Waitaha Canterbury – a world class facility to house the taonga (treasures) we care for and a place to tell the stories of our region and the people who live here.
The tired twentieth century buildings have been demolished, the iconic heritage buildings are being strengthened and restored, and base isolation added to most of the site.
We plan to reopen in mid 2029. A new building will wrap around the heritage buildings and connect to the restored Robert McDougall Gallery. Here we'll display artworks from the collections of the Museum and other cultural institutions.
At the heart of the new Museum will be a soaring atrium and exhibition space named Araiteuru where mana whenua will bring to life their stories, both ancient and new. Visitors will rediscover favourites like The Christchurch Street and The Pāua Shell House. The Antarctic Gallery and Discovery will be reimagined and there'll be new exhibitions and spaces to explore.
Watch the building works
Check out progress on the new Museum. This time lapse image updates every 15 minutes.
The first two stages of the project, demolishing the twentieth century buildings and the above ground strengthening of the Robert McDougall Gallery, have been completed. Contractors have built the 12-metre-deep outer basement wall around what will be the new building and the Robert McDougall Gallery. They have started to dig out the space for the base-isolated basement. The ground floor of the Robert McDougall Gallery is also being strengthened and supported to prepare for the excavation of the base-isolated basement under the building. This work is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2025 .
Ngā Paki o Te Hinonga Redevelopment Stories
Ngā Rongo Kōrero Latest News
Araiteuru Our Journey
Canterbury Museum has embarked on an epic journey of change as we build a new home. On the way, we’re telling inspiring stories from the collection about culture and humanity, exploration, discovery, technology, and our natural world
