10 | Te Unua Museum of Southland T T Aimee Wilson Museum designed to celebrate region “The vision for Te Unua Museum of Southland really is to be a space that celebrates our region – its people, and its places – and that was integrated into the design. Right from the beginning, the vision for the new facility was to reflect the place Te Unua Museum of Southland calls home.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Te Unua Museum of Southland is set to bring a new, cutting-edge regional museum to the city of Invercargill. Situated on the edge of the city’s Queens Park, it is due to open its doors to the public in late 2026. Invercargill City Council senior project manager Haydyn Taylor says progress on the museum’s development is tracking well. “The vision for Te Unua Museum of Southland really is to be a space that celebrates our region – its people, and its places – and that was integrated into the design. Right from the beginning, the vision for the new facility was to reflect the place Te Unua Museum of Southland calls home,” he says. “It was really interesting to watch the process of the design evolve, from the initial concept that drew its inspiration from the region itself, to actually drilling down into the details of how to bring it to life. “That’s not necessarily an easy thing to do, but we’re really fortunate to be working with some extremely experienced contractors, and we’re very happy with how the project is tracking. “It’s a major infrastructure investment for council, and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a community facility at this scale, so it’s crucial we get it right.” He says the structure is really starting to take shape, and from a build perspective, it’s a really interesting project. “Until earlier this year, construction was really all about the underground stuff – pulling together the building consent applications, excavation of the site – but now that we’ve got these huge concrete precast panels in place, concrete’s been poured, and the structural steel has gone in, it’s started to rise out of the ground and become a much more prominent piece of construction on the cityscape.” Te Unua Museum of Southland director Eloise Wallace, who made the move south from Tairāwhiti to take up her position just over a year ago, says the design was guided by incorporating the beauty of the region’s natural features – water, light – and honouring places of special significance in Murihiku, such as the prominent Tākitimu ranges to the north, and Rakiura Stewart Island to the south. Linking the western experience hall with the eastern building – which will eventually house other spaces integral to the day-today operations of the facility – will be a huge, double-hulled waka, or te unua. As well as cutting-edge innovations in storytelling and experience design, Te Unua Museum of Southland has been integrated with additional amenities the team hopes will solidify its reputation as a must-see destination in the south. Indoor and outdoor play spaces, events spaces, a café, educational spaces for local and visiting tamariki and rangatahi, and a retail offering will all be part of the package, too, and like the museum itself much of these will seamlessly integrate with the facility’s environs. 03 548 9932 | 10 Nile Street, Nelson 7010 | finn@fico.co.nz | bruce@fico.co.nz | scott@fico.co.nz | www.fico.co.nz Fico Finance is here to help you find flexible funding fast. We understand that deals can change - we're approachable, responsive, and focused on getting your project or property transaction across the line. We lend nationwide, providing first and second mortgage secured funding for business, investment, construction and property development. • Residential Investment • Commercial & Industrial • Urgent Settlements • Development & Construction Some of our loan types and features: • Bridging & Rescues • No line fees, no early repayment costs Pricing from 10.45% p.a + fee
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=