Auckland Museum is reopening most of its exhibits today. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Auckland Museum is reopening most of its exhibits today. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Auckland Museum is reopening more of its galleries from today, but its two most popular attractions, Te Marae Atea Māori Court and the Pacific galleries, remain closed.
There is no date for reopening the two galleries.
Visitors, however, will be welcomed back to seven more galleries, including the World WarI Hall of Memories, the much-loved Mataaho Volcanoes and Te Ao Tūroa Māori Natural History galleries, and more.
Museum chief executive David Reeves said that while the Māori and Pacific Galleries remain closed, “we are excited that we can now safely reopen the Grand Foyer and seven galleries, and that’s something worth celebrating.
The Grand Foyer at Auckland Museum reopens tomorrow.
“We want Aucklanders to know: yes, we are open and there’s lots to see and do, so come and see us”, he said.
To mark the occasion, the museum is celebrating over Labour Weekend with free performances, selected tours, activities, and experiences for visitors.
The tourist hotspot was forced to close from May 10 after asbestos dust was detected in the museum’s original 1929 building and Grand Foyer. More asbestos was later identified in “additional areas of the building”.
The much-loved Mataaho Volcanoes at Auckland Museum reopens today.
The museum reopened in stages, 24 days after receiving clearance from a licensed asbestos assessor, but not Te Marae Atea Māori Court and the Pacific galleries.
Reeves told councillors in July that the source of the asbestos was in the Māori Court, where remnants of asbestos dust in the ceiling from a job in the late 1980s/early 1990s had been distributed around the building from a century-old ventilation system.
He said the asbestos was hard to reach because there was a curved roof on top of a curved ceiling, and it was too small for a person to get into.
When fire alarms go off, it is believed the smoke extraction fans are disturbing the asbestos dust and causing the problems, Reeves said.
Four months after the discovery of asbestos, the museum proposed to axe 30 roles as part of a review. It came as the museum wrestled with plunging visitor numbers and the prospect of remediation costs of up to $10 million.
Te Ao Tūroa Māori Natural History galleries reopen today.
At the time of the review, Reeves said it was regrettably a necessary step towards securing the financial recovery of the museum.
After consultation with staff, 17 current positions will be disestablished, with redeployment options available for some of these roles. This represents 5.3% of the workforce. Additionally, 14 vacant roles have been disestablished.
Said Reeves: “We acknowledge the impact this process has had on those affected, and we are committed to supporting our people as changes are implemented, including considering redeployment options for those impacted.”
Normal admission and ticket charges resume from next Tuesday. Admission remains free for Aucklanders.
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