A Waitangi Treaty Grounds building designed by acclaimed Maori architect John Scott but never finished has been expanded and re-opened.
Scott's (1924-92) winning design for a visitors centre at Waitangi was opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1983.
However, Waitangi National Trust chief executive Greg McManus said Scott's vision of a two-storey whare-style building was never realised because the trust ran out of money, and over the years many "funny little additions" had been tacked on. The centre was also too small to handle growing visitor numbers.
The expansion carried on the whare-style roof through to the back of the building, allowing a much larger shop and a bigger theatre. A small cafe had been converted into a Maori arts workshop employing two fulltime carvers.
Mr McManus told the crowd gathered for the October 20 opening that the entirely Northland project was designed by Grant Harris of HB Architecture in Whangarei and built by Henwood Builders of Kaikohe.