Post Quake Omaka is Open for Business

For Immediate Release: Thu, 17 November 2016

OPEN FOR BUSINESS AT THE OMAKA AVIATION HERITAGE CENTRE

All museum facilities fully operational

Three days after the earthquake in North Canterbury on 14 November, all museum facilities are operating normally. The building was inspected by structural engineers and declared safe within 24 hours of the event. Museum staff were subsequently able to assess the extent of any damage to the exhibits and this was found to be relatively minor.

Dangerous Skies, the newest addition to the Omaka AHC opened to the public on the 1st November just one month shy of the museum’s 10-year anniversary. “The cost of the build and fit-out was significantly inflated due to additional earthquake proofing requirements and it is only at times like these do you fully appreciate these precautions. Both locals and international guests continue to visit and we are grateful for the support that the Museum has received post-quake “, said CEO Jane Orphan.

The Omaka AHC team are safe and well and our thoughts are with those communities less fortunate. The Omaka Airfield itself is a hive of activity with the wider airfield community doing their bit for those in need. The skies over Marlborough may not be particularly brilliant today but its people and spirit are and continue to be, Brilliant Every Day.

About Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre

Omaka AHC was established to provide a world-class destination for the appreciation of historic aircraft. The “Knights of the Sky” exhibition showcases the world’s largest private collection of World War 1 aircraft and rare memorabilia and is on long-term loan from film director Sir Peter Jackson. Thanks to Sir Peter’s generosity, the aircraft have been brought to life in a series of dioramas created by Wingnut Films and enhanced with lifelike mannequins by Weta Workshop. A second exhibition Dangerous Skies, opened in November 2016 and tells stories from World War 2 including the Eastern Front which are lesser known here in the West.

To learn more visit www.omaka.org.nz

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