Millions at risk as museum's Māori treasures off-limits

Newsroom

31-07-2025

Auckland Museum's famed Māori court could be closed through 2026 amid complex efforts to remove asbestos dust, with millions lost in revenues from overseas tourists.
The museum was totally closed for 24 days in May after the asbestos risk was identified, and has reopened but with the Māori hall and many other popular exhibition areas, including the Hall of Memories, NZ at War and volcanoes zones, remaining off limits.
The Māori taonga held by the museum are its biggest visitor attractions and, despite halving international visitor entrance fees, the institution is seeing tourists declining to enter when the closure is made known.
Exhibits in the hall are covered, a centrepiece woven sail for a waka which is believed to be one of a kind has already been removed and will be returned to the British Museum, and the entrance lobby resembles an industrial site, requiring PPE gear to enter.
Other galleries at the northern end of the museum on three floors are also being checked and cleared, and are due to reopen in October.
Museum chief executive David Reeves briefed Auckland councillors on Thursday, saying the problem asbestos was dust left in the curved ceilings after previous remedial work in the late1980s-early 1990s but it was near vents and could be disturbed by fans, for example, during fire alarms.
The dust was in extraordinarily difficult spaces because of the ceilings' arched shape and the value of taonga items beneath them, and most likely would have to be accessed by removing ceiling panels over the next year.
The museum ceilings hold asbestos dust left there during a previous remedial project in the 1980s/90s. Photo: Auckland Museum
'The risk must be dealt with. Once you know about it you can't just look the other way.'
He said 2000 air tests had been completed since the problem was discovered in May and none had shown risk to staff, volunteers or visitors in the areas now open.
While the May closure for 24 days, costing half a million dollars, had been well publicised, the partial reopening had not been quite as well known. 'We are also seeing a degree of hesitation from the public to return.
'We've built into this year's revised budget a $2m drop in tourism income because of the loss of the Māori court availability. We are offering international tourists half price because the value is simply not there.
'When we briefly had it at full price the pushback was so enormous, we took the option of half price. Even then, we are seeing tourists turn away, which is sad.
'It's a serious dent in our revenue.'
The Māori court was full of priceless taonga, Reeves said. 'We need to decant the gallery, we need to get in there and seal and remove all the asbestos.'
That would take 'at least a year to be dealt with' and then the museum would need to decide whether to take the opportunity of 'a complete rejuvenation of the galleries' for its centenary in 2029. The museum was looking at making an insurance claim to offset some of its lost revenues and costs.
Floor plans showing the areas in light red that remain closed due to the asbestos risk.
In the meantime, executives were planning ways to make additional Māori and Pasifika content available in other parts of the facility to meet the strong demand and 'to bring back some of the attraction of the museum. I don't think we will get back to normal.'
The museum's financial challenges prompted the Mayor, Wayne Brown, to urge its board to slap a $5 entry fee across the board.
'You've got nearly a million visitors. $5 a head is $5m. Ninety-nine percent of [visitors] love you and you might only drop to 95 percent. A lot of ratepayers will love you too.'
Brown said the council was the biggest funder of the museum by a long way. 'Is it time you put $5 on everybody going in? I find it unbelievable you are so hesitant to do what's screamingly obvious. I just want you to open your minds.
'Things that are free are over-subscribed and under-appreciated. That's just a rule of the world.'
Later in the briefing, Reeves told a councillor, Lotu Fuli, that the board had several times looked at a charging regime, benchmarking against Australian museums, but concluded there would be a 'fairly significant reduction in local visitors to the museum.'
That would impact revenues raised in the museum café and carparking. 'Our net outcome is better … free at door for Aucklanders, paid entry for overseas tourists and inviting non-Auckland New Zealanders to make a donation. We do believe that we've got the mix about right.'
There is one bright spot for Auckland Museum. Last year it was surprised to learn of a $7.6m bequest that was the result of a brother and sister's will 10 years ago. They had wanted their money to first cover other commitments and the balance then to go to the museum.
Reeves: 'It was a very good day at work. We were unaware of it until about a year ago, and it's for the future development of the museum.'
An endowment fund had been created. 'We hope to use it for positive development of the museum, rather than run-of-the-mill.'
That meant it would not be used to cover the asbestos remedial works. 'We think it sends a really good signal for those who might be considering an endowment fund that would be used for developmental work.'
One councillor wondered if an option for seeking financial help for the asbestos project would be to include the museum's needs in the proposed Auckland City Deal with central government. The deal proposal did not cater for such spending.
But Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, who leads a group overseeing the city's cultural facilities, said there had been discussions with the Arts and Culture Minister Paul Goldsmith about 'the role of the Government and the museum' and cultural institutions.
The meeting heard Te Papa in Wellington received central government funding but Auckland relied on ratepayers and its own income. Councillor Wayne Walker said that was inequitable, as Auckland had more visitors, local and international, than Te Papa.
Auckland Council provided $34m, commercial operations about $4.5m and entrance fees $3.2m of the museum's annual revenue in 2024/25.