Waikato Museum To Temporarily Close For Building Work

Long-awaited renewal works to fix existing issues and prevent future problems will begin at Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato before the end of this month.

The weekend of Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July will be the last opportunity for visitors to enjoy the current exhibitions, including the deadly prehistoric predators of Six Extinctions.

As part of the closing weekend, the public is invited to attend ‘Te Whakataa a Te Winika’ at 11am on Saturday 20 July. This will acknowledge the majestic waka taua Te Winika with song and karakia, before she is at rest (whakataa) from public view during the closure.

All of Waikato Museum will be closed on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 July while a temporary river-facing entrance to Exscite is completed. From Wednesday 24 July, Exscite will remain open daily 10am to 5pm and will be accessed through the carpark off Victoria Street. The entire museum will be open to the public again from Friday 6 December 2024.

The upgrade of Waikato Museum has been long planned as part of Hamilton City Council’s renewals programme, and will ensure the building meets industry standards for the safe care, storage and display of objects, taonga and artworks.

Taking place over four and a half months, the programme will provide better climate control by adding an airlock entry to the Museum’s front entrance and renewal of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) throughout the building.

Along with electrical renewals, there will also be improvements to accessibility and amenities, such as public bathrooms, flooring and forecourt.

The phased project to replace the Museum’s roof will also be completed during the closure.

“Protecting taonga, improving watertightness and increasing accessibility are at the heart of this significant mahi. As the region’s home for more than 30,000 collection objects, Waikato Museum is a unique space and we’re making sure it can remain a taonga for future generations too,” said Liz Cotton, Director Museum and Arts.

“We know Exscite is a family-favourite so we’re delighted that it can stay open throughout this period.

“With all its amazing new interactives, the refurbished upper floor of Exscite has been a huge hit since it opened recently. If you and your whaanau haven’t already visited to admire our 30 million year old giant penguin fossil, or to have a go catching the slithering digital tuna (eels), then we look forward to seeing you here soon.”

Along with Exscite staying open, the Museum’s classrooms on the ground floor will continue to be used for delivering Education programmes and public events. Staff in the public-facing Visitor Experience team will either continue to work on site or be temporarily redeployed to assist with other Museum projects and Hamilton City Council facilities.

Details of exhibition programming for summer 2024/2025 will be announced in coming months

Note: 

For te reo Maaori, Waikato Museum uses double vowels (uu) in place of vowels with a macron (ū) to represent a long vowel sound. This spelling approach is the preference of tangata whenua in Hamilton Kirikiriroa and Waikato iwi for te reo Maaori words.

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