Te Awamutu’s Museum is back, but
with a new purpose and a new name.
The museum was forced to close
overnight last October following a seismic assessment which showed the building was
vulnerable in an earthquake. Since then, staff have been ensuring the security
of artefacts while planning a new, public space.
They have also continued to
deliver education services, providing learning sessions to around 370 students
from five schools since the closure. The education programme is part of the
museum’s prestigious three-year contract with the Ministry of Education.
Museum director Anne Blyth said
the new space at the building leased by Council in Rickit Road could not
technically be called a museum.
“Museums must meet really
stringent standards in terms of climate control, pest management and security
and we simply can’t meet those standards in the Ricket Road space. But
that doesn’t mean we can’t offer something else really valuable to the community,
so that’s what we’ll be doing.”
On that basis, the museum will
reopening next week as the Te Awamutu Museum Education and Research Centre.
Staff will focus on providing an education-centred service and will be making
the space as interactive as possible with the spotlight firmly on Waipā’s rich
history.
There will also be an emphasis on
research with space provided so people can access the museum’s extensive
archive of paper, photograph and digital documents. The popular Tui & Tama
Kids Club, with more than 500 members, may also use the space as a base for
some activities.
“There is still going to be
plenty to do and, it’s certainly not like the collection has disappeared,”
Blyth said. “We’ve already got more than 18,000 items
available online and
that’s a fabulous resource for people to use. You can lose yourself for
hours online, browsing the collection.”
Opening hours at the Te Awamutu
Museum Education and Research Centre will be 10am – 4pm Monday to Friday and
10am – 2pm on Saturday and public holidays. The Centre will be closed on
Sundays.
