The new year has begun, and progress on Te Unua Museum of Southland has risen from below the ground. 

The first major piece of mahi to be undertaken in 2025 was the installation of the first 14 precast concrete panels, quickly followed by the pouring of the next section of main floor slab in the experience hall.  

Council’s Programme Director Lee Butcher said the work would give the community a good sense of the scale of the physical build. 

“Ticking those two elements off was almost a bit symbolic – they’re quite tangible, physical steps in the project’s progress,” he said. 
 
“Up until this point, a large chunk of the work has been background stuff – pulling together the building consent applications, excavating the site, readying things for the physical build itself to begin. A lot of the work that has gone into the completion of Te Unua Museum of Southland to date is behind-the-scenes, or underground. This year, the community can expect to see their new museum start to really come to life very quickly, which is exciting for us all.” 
 
As well as this, work on pulling together the experience within the museum – the variety of exhibits, the tāoka and artefacts, and the ways in which we tell the stories of our region – will be finalised. Council is committed to working proactively with key stakeholders to ensure the visitor experience is a world-class rendition of what makes Southland’s stories special. Stay tuned, too, for the public launch of branding for our new museum. We’re excited to give you a taste of what to expect when we can.