A design drawing of Te Unua - Museum of Southland which could cost up to $87 million to build. Image: Invercargill City Council/Supplied A series of options were presented to the public for consultation, ranging from $7 million to $13 million of additional council spend. If the most expensive option was landed on - sticking with the original design - the total cost of the project could balloon to about $87 million.
A total 286 submissions were received by the council as part of its consultation, with 36% of respondents opting for the original design as their preferred choice. A cheaper option to reduce the museum’s digital experience and shave up to $6 million off the maximum overspend was the next preferred option at 29%. But the council also noted that pausing or stopping the project was not provided as an option and had been raised by about 16% of submitters.
The journey to a new museum has been a long one for the council and follows the closure of the previous one in 2018 after earthquake safety concerns came to light. On Tuesday, a group of submitters took the opportunity to share their thoughts with the council at a hearing. Former councillor Lloyd Esler said it was the contents of the museum that mattered - not the outside appearance.
He believed the digital elements of the museum were an “expensive luxury” which could be pared back, because you didn’t need to leave your house to see something on a screen. Angella Newell spoke on behalf of both Arts Murihiku an.