Te Papa interior. Photo: Meredith Foley.
Nikki Macdonald, Te Papa’s planned Auckland offshoot is put on ice, The Dominion Post, stuff.co.nz, 17 October 2015
Te Papa‘s controversial plans for a South Auckland exhibition and storage space are on hold, after its $40 million budget bid was rejected.
The cost has blown out by a third and the project director has now left the museum.
The Te Papa Manukau project was announced in 2013 by then culture and heritage minister Chris Finlayson. It proposed a new shared exhibition, education and storage facility in South Auckland’s Hayman Park, which would house up to half of Te Papa’s treasures.
The project was to be a collaboration with Auckland Art Gallery and Auckland War Memorial Museum, with Te Papa shouldering the building and running costs.
Te Papa chief executive Rick Ellis has revealed that a budget bid was submitted to the Government earlier this year, but was declined. Te Papa intended to submit a refined proposal in the next budget round, he said.
“We are very committed to it. I would hope – as does the board – that we will be successful in a future budget bid.”
