Whakatāne Museum and Research Centre Redevelopment

Preserving our past to inspire our future

A two-stage Arts and Culture Project was implemented by the Whakatāne District Council in 2009. The first stage of this project was completed in 2012 with the opening of Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi — Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre. Today, this award-winning building provides an exciting and dynamic space for visitors to engage with our galleries, exhibitions, and events. The Museum collections are showcased in a celebration of our District’s heritage as presented in the interpretive historical display and are regularly woven into the vibrant programme of exhibitions.

Stage Two of the Arts and Culture Project will see the redevelopment of the Whakatāne Museum and Research Centre in Boon Street. This building is the ‘other half’ of the Museum. It houses the Museum’s extensive collections, delivers research services, provides access to the Museum’s resources, and has working space for all Museum staff. It is the epicentre of the Whakatāne Museum and Arts operations. However, the building is not fit for purpose; it lacks sufficient collections storage and adequate environmental controls to ensure their long-term preservation. It also lacks space for the community, compromising their access to the Museum’s collections and its varied resources.

The redevelopment will provide a dedicated collections storage and research facility for our District and the wider region. This is our opportunity to provide storage and climatic conditions for our Museum collections to protect our community’s heritage for future generations. This is our chance to create a multi-functional research and education space for schools and individuals to engage with our historic and growing collections. Our goal is to establish a place that connects the community with their inheritance, to inspire through our continued relationships with the past.

If you would like to help us make the redevelopment of the Whakatāne Museum and Research Centre a reality, please contact us today.

Redevelopment fact sheet - (PDF, 224 KB)

Latest redevelopment updates

Beyond the Bricks and Mortar

The historical moments that have defined Whakatane Museum over the past 80 years are fairly simple. In the 1930s a group of community leaders with a keen interest in heritage and local identity formed an organisation to identify Māori settlement sites, collect books and objects, and encourage writing about history. They formed the Bay of Plenty Maori and Historical Research Society, and the dream of Whakatane Museum begins with their pre-War efforts.

A concept painting of the redeveloped Museum Research Centre on Boon Street.

Project overview for the Museum redevelopment

The Museum Redevelopment will transform the existing Whakatāne Museum and Research Centre building in Boon Street into a purpose-built research, storage and archives facility, which will address longstanding issues of storage, climate control, access and building integrity.