Staff in the public-facing visitor experience team will either continue to work at Exscite or be temporarily redeployed to assist with other museum projects and Hamilton City Council facilities.
A council spokesperson said the work had been planned for a long time as part of its renewals programme and would focus on protecting taonga, improving water tightness and increasing accessibility.
“The work ... will ensure Waikato Museum 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 throughout the building,” the council said in a statement.
The museum’s forecourt would also be upgraded to “improve visitor experience” and accessibility, while also improving connections to and visibility of the museum from Victoria St.
Director museum and arts Liz Cotton said the programme had been “long-awaited”.
“[It] will ... will extend [the museum’s] useful life as a community facility for Hamiltonians and for the tens of thousands of visitors who come here each year.”
During the closure, the phased project to replace the museum’s roof, which began in October 2023, will also be completed.
Long-run steel is being used to replace the original ceramic tiles, which are more than 30 years old.
War canoe Te Whare Waka o Te Winika is one of the taonga at Waikato Museum.
The new roof will make the building watertight, reduce maintenance costs, and ensure Waikato Museum can continue to maintain a stable and dry environment for the collections it contains.
“As the region’s home for more than 30,000 collection objects, Te Whare Taonga o Waikato is a unique space and we’re making sure it can remain a taonga for future generations too,” said Cotton.
Although its origins trace back to 1941, Waikato Museum opened in its current building on Grantham St in 1987.
The purpose-built facility was designed by architect Ivan Mercep of Auckland architecture firm Jasmad (now named Jasmax), who went on to design the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
During the work, the museum’s two classrooms on the ground floor will continue to be used for education programmes and public events.
The entire museum will be open to the public again from December 6. Details of exhibition programming for summer 2024/2025 will be announced in the coming months.
