Museum starts to flesh out its plans
Nearly all of Te Manawa’s collections are locked away in storage, a problem that could be fixed if a new $58 million complex is built.
The issue was highlighted yesterday when a staff member had to swoop in and save a pair of visitors lost in the Palmerston North museum’s rabbit warren, unable to find what they were looking for.
Among Te Manawa’s ambitious and costly plans for the future are proposals to bring much of its vast collection out into the public.
Auckland visitor Graham Judd came to see the museum’s old printing gear, only to find it was not on display.
Judd, a volunteer from Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology, is fascinated by old time letter presses.
He visited with former colleague and Palmerston North woman Christina Drummond.
So as not to disappoint, humanities collection manager Cindy Lilburn swooped on the pair and escorted them through the maze of hallways and old buildings for a personal viewing.
Drummond said she was surprised it was such a mission.
‘‘I’d be very keen to see them get stuff out of storage.’’
Te Manawa’s plans for its future involve creating a more open, flexible space, where more of its exhibits would be in view.
Chief executive Andy Lowe said the Te Manawa team went out of its way to make sure visitors had a good experience.
‘‘But we want to be a museum without boundaries, where people can access things that used to be hidden away, and we can’t do it well in the current facilities.’’
He was encouraged by Palmerston North city councillors’ positive response to the unveiling of Te Manawa 2025, which provided confidence to go ahead with fleshing out the plan.
The concept was for a new Te Manawa, fronting Main St near George St, which was welcoming for everyone and flexible enough to host blockbuster exhibitions and to bring its collections out into the open.
Lowe said it would be a museum about people, encouraging participation and creativity.
It would honour the city and region’s treasures from the past, and also provide opportunities to explore difficult contemporary social issues.
‘‘It will be hands on and energetic,
‘‘I’d be very keen to see them get stuff out of storage.’’ Christina Drummond
a place where kids are desperate to go.’’
It would look to the city council to boost the money already in its budgets for earthquake strengthening to up to $11m to create a purpose-built arts and culture powerhouse.
Te Manawa would raise the rest through other avenues.
Lowe said there would be plenty of opportunities for the community to be involved as Te Manawa moved on to making more detailed plans.
Te Manawa already has many of its likely partners and supporters on board, with 23 groups, including Rangitane, sending representatives to the presentation at a council meeting.
New Zealand Rugby Museum director Stephen Berg said after six years of sharing a building, it was keen to be part of Te Manawa’s ambition.
‘‘It’s very early days, but we are really excited about the opportunity to do something different.’’
Berg said the network of nine buildings was already creaking at the joins, and it was hard to see the value in spending millions of dollars just to make them safe without also solving the problems of wasted space and cramped storage.
Shifting Te Manawa’s front entrance closer to The Square would possibly require changes for the Convention and Function Centre.
It would also take it closer to the City Library, which was about to embark on its own interior redesign.
This will create an entrance on The Square, linking directly to George St at street level.