The Museum has been temporarily closed while assessments and cleaning were carried out following the discovery of asbestos on the roof and in a ceiling cavity in the original 1929 part of the building.
The safety of visitors, staff and taonga has been the priority during the closure period. Through collaboration with Worksafe New Zealand and Auckland Council, and with clearance from a Licenced Asbestos Assessor and safety assurances in place, the Museum is ready to reopen key areas to the public.
The first stage of reopening will include:
- Te Ao Mārama South Atrium, including Tuitui Café and Hokohoko Museum Store
- Tāmaki Herenga Waka: Stories of Auckland, the Museum’s award-winning permanent gallery that shares the layered histories of Tāmaki Makaurau
- Level 1 family galleries, Weird and Wonderful and Te Whiwhinga The Imaginarium, and natural history gallery, Origins
- Level 2 galleries, including Mana: Protest in Print, Atarau: Stories of the New Zealand Wars and Scars on the Heart (WWI and WWII)
- World War II Hall of Memories
A revised fire evacuation procedure, approved by Fire and Emergency New Zealand, enables this staged reopening.
Auckland Museum Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive David Reeves says, “It has been a challenging few weeks, and we’re excited to now be able partially reopen the Museum. We look forward to welcoming our community back into the building.”
“We have undertaken a stringent cleaning and testing protocol and been given complete reassurance that we can reopen these spaces safely. We want our visitors to feel the same confidence when they walk in the door, we wouldn’t open unless it was absolutely safe to do so,” says Reeves.
Sections of the north side of the building, including Te Marae Ātea Māori Court, Pacific Galleries and the Grand Foyer, will remain closed while asbestos remediation work continues. Air monitoring tests will be ongoing throughout the Museum to reassure staff and visitors that reopened spaces remain safe for occupation.
The closure, while necessary, has had an impact on the Museum’s self-generated revenue. Reeves adds that partial reopening will begin to mitigate this impact.
“Partial reopening Museum will help ease the pressure this closure has had on our self-generated revenue. It is a welcome milestone, and we hope visitors will join us in bringing the Museum back to life.” says Reeves.
