CHRISTCHURCH.- The Museum has awarded the contract to build the new base-isolated basement and 5-level building to Leighs Construction. This will include a large floor to ceiling atrium, a new home for the 26-metre long blue whale skeleton.

Tenders for the construction contract were all well above the Museum’s anticipated budget. The projected cost of the new Museum has also increased due to an extra $3.8 million to remove asbestos from the Robert McDougall Gallery and another $5 million due to unexpected ground conditions which has slowed progress beneath the Gallery.

In response to the tenders, the Museum has identified further cost savings of about $11 million.

The projected total cost of the redeveloped Museum is now $247 million, up 20.5% from $205 million in 2022. The Museum is scheduled to reopen 6 months later than previously planned, in mid-2029.

The Museum’s funding shortfall has increased from $44.6 million to $86.6 million due to the higher costs.

Museum Board Chair David Ayers says the Museum has enough committed funding secured to complete a weathertight and insurable building and base-isolated basement, and to install any plant that is integral to the building construction phase. This stage was made affordable by moving elements of the building fit out and installation of the remaining building services to the next stage of the project.

“We’re really disappointed with the increase given our strict cost control to date. But we’re not alone in facing escalating construction costs. It wasn’t unexpected against the inflationary backdrop of recent years,” David Ayers says.

“The new Museum is being developed in discrete stages to ensure that we’re not committing to any work that we can’t afford. This careful and responsible approach means we have time to raise the remaining funds. In the meantime we need to keep building to maintain the buying power of the funds we already have.

“But if we need to pause the project in 3 years, the building structure and base-isolated basement will be complete and ready for fit-out.”

Museum Tumuaki/Director Anthony Wright says the Museum is actively working on its fundraising plan. “We’re still confident that we can raise the extra money to fit out the building and the exhibition spaces.”

“We’re really looking forward to reopening the Museum for Cantabrians. It will be a must-see attraction for visitors from across Aotearoa New Zealand and the globe, with world-class facilities to care for the treasures in the Museum collection of more than 2.3 million objects.

“Meanwhile, we’re continuing to welcome local and international visitors to our three central city attractions – Ravenscar House Museum, Quake City and the pop-up Museum at 66 Gloucester Street. Watch out for Wharenui Harikoa, the new exhibition at the Museum pop-up opening in December.

“We’re fully engaged in designing and building 6,500 sq metres of new exhibits, completing our inventory project and maintaining a strong focus on fundraising to complete the project.”

The first two stages of the project, demolishing the twentieth century buildings and the above ground strengthening of the Robert McDougall Gallery, have been completed. A Leighs March Construction Joint Venture is currently installing the 12-metre-deep outer wall for the base-isolated basement under the Gallery and new building. The ground floor of the Robert McDougall Gallery is also being strengthened and supported to prepare for the excavation of the base-isolated basement. This work is scheduled to be finished in May 2025.

A series of major infrastructure projects in Te Waipounamu/South Island have all experienced reported cost increases. Christchurch's new metro sports facility Parakiore, the ChristChurch Cathedral restoration and the new Court Theatre have all seen budgets rise by over 50%. Te Una Museum of Southland recently announced a 17% cost rise for a new building for which detailed design is yet to start.