Te Awamutu Museum and an adjacent district council staff building have been closed because they are an earthquake risk. Photo / Supplied
Te Awamutu’s museum and adjacent staff building will remain closed for some time.
The building was evacuated last month following an independent seismic assessment. That report has now been finalised, confirming the building is at 20 per cent of the National Building Standard, with a Grade D building rating. In
the event of an earthquake, that would represent a risk to life.
Chief executive Garry Dyet said it was clear no-one will be moving back into the building in the “near future”, but could not be more definitive regarding a timeframe. The council was now looking for alternative accommodation in Te Awamutu to house displaced staff, he said.
“That also means the museum will remain closed until we can work through the options. We are considering a pop-up museum, but obviously we need to work alongside the Te Awamutu Museum Trust Board and mana whenua,” he said.
“The reality is that we will not be able to move much of the collection to a pop-up space because there are issues like climate control to consider. In the meantime, museum staff are still able to fulfil contractual requirements with the Ministry of Education and are working on other opportunities to promote our district’s heritage.”
