Opinion: Museum needs fixing - but at what cost?

Rotorua Museum director Stewart Brown. Photo/Stephen Parker

The Rotorua Museum can be fixed but will it be - and should it be?

With so many variables unknown, most importantly the cost of repair, those are questions that don't have to be answered yet. But they are questions to start thinking about.

A detailed report has revealed the museum is significantly damaged and needs to be closed for the foreseeable future. It's news that is bound to illicit strong emotional reactions from people who love the beautiful building that sits proudly in the Government Gardens.

Last November when the museum was closed temporarily I posed the question, was the building such a taonga to our community that cost was immaterial when it came to restoring it?

Back then I sat on the fence while awaiting more details of what we were dealing with. We still don't know the details - they will come in due course - but a full restoration will not come cheap.

For some there will be no question it must be fixed and reopened. That of course the work should be done no matter the cost and no matter how long it takes.

I am not so sure. The "fix at any cost" argument is an understandable response but would it be smart?

Mayor Steve Chadwick says the council will now have to consider all the options.

It is in my view a decision the community needs to be at the centre of. Residents need to be informed of all the options, costings and details so they can give their feedback to those making the final decisions.

Consultation would force us to weigh up just what the museum means to us, and that would mean thinking with our heads as well as our hearts.