Te Papa puts Auckland offshoot on ice, again

Wednesday, 17 July 2019

Te Papa's controversial plans for a south Auckland museum and storage facility have been put on ice, again.

An internal memo from Te Papa management reveals the government asked the museum to shelve plans for a Manukau offshoot, following the May budget.

'One of the other outcomes of this Budget was that government has asked us to deprioritise work on Te Papa Manukau, as we focus on our infrastructure projects and on renewal. So for the time being, a project in Manukau is no longer a priority for Te Papa,' the memo read.

Originally proposed in 2013, the exhibition, education and storage facility planned for South Auckland's Hayman Park was put on the backburner in 2015, after the government rejected its $40 million budget bid. But documents show it was resurrected as one of the museum's seven 'strategic priorities' for 2017-2021.

* Leaders still hopeful for Auckland Te Papa plans

* Te Papa's planned Auckland offshoot is put on ice

Auckland Council Manukau Ward councillor Alf Filipaina says the shelving of the Manukau museum project is a loss to the community and 'so so disappointing'.

* Te Papa taonga on the move north**

Auckland Council Manukau Ward councillor Alf Filipaina, who had been involved with the concept from the start, had not been told the museum project had again been shelved. He said the news was 'so disappointing' and frustrating for those who had invested so much time in its planning.

The South Auckland community hoped some of the museum's Pacific collection would be moved to the planned Manukau exhibition and education centre. (File photo)

'It was going to be so so cool … having something that would allow our youth and our community to have exhibitions from their own country … I'm hoping that it will still happen.'

Te Papa's 2017 briefing to incoming Culture and Heritage Minister Jacinda Ardern said planning was 'advanced' for a 'new and exciting 'Educational Museum'' in Manukau.

The Manukau offshoot was planned for South Auckland's Hayman Park.

The briefing reiterated the need to move 'a great deal of our collection' out of Wellington to manage earthquake risks and said the Auckland offshoot was a key part of the museum's outreach programme.

When the Te Papa Manukau project was first announced, scientists Mike Rudge and Lionel Carter raised concerns that the museum would try to move its fragile and important natural history collections to Auckland.

A new business case was completed at the end of 2018.

However, Te Papa chief executive Geraint Martin confirmed the Manukau museum had now been put on ice, following a Government directive. While he would not say if the project was doomed, Martin said the museum's focus 'in the coming years' was on investing in earthquake and fire compliance; lift, bathroom and lighting upgrades; and exhibition renewal.

Martin said Te Papa remained 'committed to fulfilling its role of serving all New Zealanders' and would continue to strengthen its relationships with the Manukau community.

Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Grant Robertson, said while he was interested in ensuring all New Zealanders could access Te Papa's collections, Te Papa Manukau was on hold to allow the museum to focus on other areas needing investment.The Government had provided an extra $50 million over four years to fund that work.

The original Te Papa Manukau plan sparked fears the museum would shift its natural history collection to Auckland, risking damage to its delicate specimens and ripping the heart out of Wellington's science hub.

A key critic Mike Rudge, who managed the national collections from 1994-98, supported the concept of a Pacific- and Maori-focused exhibition space in south Auckland, but opposed moving collections.

'It would be nice one day to see some sort of satellite serving that community. It is quite a long haul for kids, schools to get into the central museum in Auckland. But as for collections - that was a very strange idea.'