Rotorua Museum closed indefinitely

Rotorua Museum.

Stephanie Arthur-Worsop, Rotorua Museum will be closed indefinitely, NZ Herald, 7 July 2017

The community is reeling with news the iconic Rotorua Museum will remain closed for the ‘foreseeable future’ due to significant structural damage.

The news comes with the release of the Detailed Seismic Assessment of the building showing it fell well below earthquake safety standards.

Rotorua Lakes Council says the museum can be fixed but if, how, when, and how much it will cost is still to be determined.

The category 1 heritage building, which is more than 100 years old, closed last November after being damaged by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Kaikoura.

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said while the closure of the much-loved building was devastating for the community and for the council, public safety was the priority.

“The wait for the results of the detailed assessment has been frustrating for us all but it has been necessary to ensure we have a clear picture of what we’re faced with.

“We will now need to consider the options for both the building and the future of our museum services and make a decision about how to proceed.”

The result of the detailed seismic assessment – which included invasive testing – assessed most of the building at 15 per cent of the National Building Standard.

Buildings that are at 33 per cent or below are considered earthquake prone.