Southland Museum and Art Gallery's storage facility was officially blessing by mana whenua this morning (1st Dec), followed by a sod turning ceremony.

The commencement of work at the storage facility marks the start of Project 1225, which will also deliver a new museum base build and tuatara facility by December 2025.

Last week, Invercargill City Council councillors unanimously agreed that the planned storage facility would continue, along with the new museum and art gallery build, at an accelerated pace.

The construction phase of the storage facility project had been paused to allow time for the new incoming council to assess the planned programme for the museum rebuild.

Group Manager Leisure and Recreation Steve Gibling said the storage facility represented the coming together of the keepers of Southland’s stories in a place that best fitted their needs.

“It will be an incredible resource that will not only keep our taonga safe, but it will be a hub. Our incredible collections housed together will be accessible, and that’s important.”

An artist's impression of the new museum and art gallery storage facility at Tisbury. Photo: Supplied

Gibling said it was the beginning of a great journey and he was grateful for mana whenua in helping take the first steps together along the right path with their blessing.

“I also want to thank the many, many members of Council staff and contractors who have worked so hard and for so long on this and other adjacent projects. No matter how we tell it, your part of the story is just as much an important chapter as the end.”

Project 1225 Lead Councillor Nigel Skelt said it was the start of a journey that would see the past honoured well into the future.

“Today, the clock begins ticking. Project 1225 is ambitious and there is going to be a lot of incredibly hard work to be done. Our timeframe is, frankly, tight.

“But I firmly believe that when you work with the best, you can ask for miracles. I firmly believe that the team at Council, along with the contractors and others that we will choose to become part of this project absolutely have what it takes to make dreams come true. So, we’re dreaming big, starting today.”

Programme Director Lee Butcher said the new facility would provide a highly functional and performance-based controlled environment within a robust structure in a resilient location.

“This state-of-the-art facility will have sufficient security and storage measures in place to protect the taonga so they can be enjoyed for years to come.”

The 4.5 million items in the Southland Museum and Art Gallery collection are in the process of being carefully packaged up and will be moved to the storage facility following its completion.

The taonga chosen to be exhibited will be transferred to the new museum base build at Queens Park in time for its opening in late 2026.

Members of the Museum Governance Group, ICC Councillors and staff, representatives from Awarua and Waihōpai Rūnaka, and members of the community also attended today's ceremony.

ABL contractors are scheduled to start work on the 1650m2 storage facility on Thursday (10 Nov), with a completion date of December 2023.

When completed, the facility will include shelved areas for the various objects, cold storage areas, offices and workrooms, and a car park area. There will also be a public space where members of the community can view pieces of the collection for research purposes.