Revamp of Waiouru's army museum

A large exhibition gallery and i-SITE will be part of the new entryway underway at the National Army Museum, Waiouru.

The National Army Museum at Waiouru is being updated with a new exhibition gallery and an i-SITE, and larger gift shop.

The facilities are part of the new entryway for the museum on State Highway 1.

The project will cost $2.5 million.

Matamata company Stanley Construction is the main contractor and expects to complete construction by the end of June.

The short build time was possible because a large amount of construction was pre-fabricated in the company's Matamata factory.

The upgrade is funded by the museum and the Lotteries Board.

"The new entryway is all about improving the visitor's experience" said museum marketing manager Nicola Bennett.

"We want a more compelling 'meet and greet' space and are aiming to improve visitor flows."

The new gallery space will be the museum's largest and will allow more scope to host a wider range of exhibitions and artefacts including large objects, she said.

"The inclusion of an i-SITE made sense given the large number of enquiries the museum fields from visitors passing through and the [Ruapehu District] council's desire to establish an i-SITE in Ruapehu's southern gateway."