Museum Redevelopment

The tired twentieth century buildings have been demolished, the iconic heritage buildings will be strengthened and restored, and base isolation added to most of the site.

We plan to reopen towards the end of 2028. A new building will wrap around the heritage buildings and connect to the restored Robert McDougall Gallery. Here we'll display artworks from the collections of the Museum and other cultural institutions.

At the heart of the new Museum will be a soaring atrium and exhibition space named Araiteuru where mana whenua will bring to life their stories, both ancient and new. Visitors will rediscover favourites like The Christchurch Street and The Pāua Shell House. The Antarctic Gallery and Discovery will be reimagined and there'll be new exhibitions and spaces to explore.

https://snowgrass.nz/cust/canterbury/museum/images

Watch the building works

Check out progress on the new Museum. This time lapse image updates every 15 minutes.

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 GREAT JOURNEY. AN EXTENDED JOURNEY. A REVEALING JOURNEY.

Araiteuru - Ara Roa. Ara nui.
Ara ake rã.

Watch an update on the Museum redevelopment and the launch of the name for the Museum journey. Hear from Museum leaders about the future of the new Museum.

Watch the video