Latest news with #AucklandWarMemorialMuseum
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Auckland War Memorial Museum to partially reopen after asbestos discovery forced closure
The museum has been closed since 10 May. Photo: 123RF The Auckland War Memorial Museum will partially reopen next week after an extended closure caused by the discovery of asbestos. The museum has been closed since 10 May when asbestos was found in the ceiling of the original 1929 building. After having a revised fire evacuation procedure approved by Fire and Emergency last week, the museum has now been cleared by Worksafe and Auckland Council to reopen on Tuesday. That would make the incoming King's Birthday weekend the fourth weekend in a row missed during the closure. "I had hoped we would get through for the long weekend but it just wasn't possible," chief executive David Reeves said. "People have been working day and night on this and we just decided it was better to be sure that we can start on Tuesday rather than have a false start over the weekend." Reeves estimated the first stage of the reopening would cover about two thirds of the complex. "It's pretty much the whole of the southern end of the building. So the curved end, for people who know the building," he said. "That's our main foyer, the retail shop, the cafe, the Auckland galleries, the education centre, the Weird and Wonderful [exhibit], and most of the war galleries on the top floor." Work to clean the rest of the museum would take a lot longer, Reeves said. "The 1929 part of the building is just architecturally a much more complex building and it's much more complex for us to devise the appropriate cleaning regime, so it will take a little bit longer because we want to do a good job and not have a stop, start of opening and then needing to close again," he said. "The area around the grand foyer, the original 1929 foyer, and all of the galleries that are immediately adjacent to that space... [That] area we know will be a very much longer job, but the rest we're hoping within a month or two, but it really depends what we discover." He said the 24-day closure had dealt a substantial blow to the museum, but it could've been worse. "We are lucky, if any of this is good luck, that we are between our two overseas international touring shows... So it was going to be a quiet period anyway." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
13-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Asbestos-laced materials wash up on east Auckland beaches, council urges caution
He said the pieces, about 5-10cm in size, were likely from historical construction waste and posed a low health risk unless picked up. 'We are asking people to take a common-sense approach and to simply leave ACM alone for the council to collect. 'Dogs and children should also be prevented from picking up the material.' He said if the pieces are spotted, they should be left undisturbed for the council to collect. Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals that are often found in older buildings. Exposure to asbestos fibres can pose significant health risks, leading to several serious lung diseases, including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Health New Zealand medical officer of health Dr David Sinclair said the riskiest situation was where dust was being generated from asbestos-containing materials being cut or damaged. 'In outdoor settings such as the affected beaches, we'd expect the level of asbestos dust to be minimal, especially when the material is below the high tide mark and damp. 'However, people should inform Auckland Council if they find ACM so it can be removed, and not disturb the ACM pieces or collect them.' Chetty said the exact source of the asbestos continues to evade councillors due to the age of the material and the ability for it have drift through the ocean over a long period of time. 'The ACM we're finding now is likely to be decades-old construction waste that was dumped near the shoreline, which over time has fragmented and dispersed along beaches due to natural processes like tides and weather.' The council has not identified a likely single source of the material but is continuing to conduct investigations. If any members of the public have information that would assist, they are encouraged to report this to healthenforcement@ This is the second time in a week that asbestos has made headlines, with the Auckland War Memorial Museum being forced to close its doors after asbestos dust was detected in various areas.
RNZ News
13-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
FENZ urgently reviewing fix to Auckland War Memorial Museum after asbestos discovered
Auckland War Memorial Museum. Photo: 123RF Fire and Emergency says it is urgently reviewing the Auckland War Memorial Museum's application for an alternative fire exit, amidst the closure of the museum due to asbestos issues. The museum has been closed since Saturday after asbestos was found in a critical fire exit , requiring FENZ to approve an alternative exit before members of the public are allowed back. FENZ said in a statement that it was reviewing the application "urgently" but added that approval would depend on whether an appropriate evacuation scheme had been put in place, to ensure the safety of visitors and staff. It said the reviewing of such applications could take up to 20 days. FENZ said it may not be the only agency whose approval was needed for the safe reopening of the museum - stating that consent from Auckland Council may also be required. Auckland's deputy mayor Desley Simpson said the museum was missing out on thousands of ticket sales and is calling for urgency from FENZ. "This is a real problem for the museum, they average about 2600 visitors a day," she said. "Some of those are obviously Aucklanders who don't pay, but our visitors to the city who love going to museums... They've lost probably $8000 a day for admissions, over four days of course that's $32,000." Simpson said the lost revenue was "getting a bit scary," and urged FENZ to prioritise a solution. "So, urgency from FENZ to get an agreement with the museum on their emergency fire exit is really, really important because we do need our Auckland War Memorial Museum open as soon as possible," she said. There was no indication how long that could take, but Simpson hoped it would be a matter of days. "The timeline for me is 'as soon as possible', but it has to be a an agreed plan." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
13-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Auckland's Desley Simpson Calls For Urgency To Fix War Memorial Museum After Asbestos Discovered
Auckland's deputy mayor is calling for urgency from Fire and Emergency (FENZ) as the Auckland War Memorial Museum haemorrhages tens of thousands of dollars in lost ticket sales. The museum has been closed since Saturday after asbestos was found in a critical fire exit, requiring FENZ to approve an alternative exit before members of the public are allowed back. Meanwhile, deputy mayor Desley Simpson said the museum was missing out on thousands of ticket sales. 'This is a real problem for the museum, they average about 2600 visitors a day,' she said. 'Some of those are obviously Aucklanders who don't pay, but our visitors to the city who love going to museums… They've lost probably $8000 a day for admissions, over four days of course that's $32,000.' Simpson said the lost revenue was 'getting a bit scary,' and urged FENZ to prioritise a solution. 'So, urgency from FENZ to get an agreement with the museum on their emergency fire exit is really, really important because we do need our Auckland War Memorial Museum open as soon as possible,' she said. There was no indication how long that could take, but Simpson hoped it would be a matter of days. 'The timeline for me is 'as soon as possible', but it has to be a an agreed plan.' A spokesperson for Auckland Museum said it was yet to receive an update from FENZ. RNZ has approached Fire and Emergency for comment.
Scoop
13-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Auckland's Desley Simpson Calls For Urgency To Fix War Memorial Museum After Asbestos Discovered
Auckland's deputy mayor is calling for urgency from Fire and Emergency (FENZ) as the Auckland War Memorial Museum haemorrhages tens of thousands of dollars in lost ticket sales. The museum has been closed since Saturday after asbestos was found in a critical fire exit, requiring FENZ to approve an alternative exit before members of the public are allowed back. Meanwhile, deputy mayor Desley Simpson said the museum was missing out on thousands of ticket sales. "This is a real problem for the museum, they average about 2600 visitors a day," she said. "Some of those are obviously Aucklanders who don't pay, but our visitors to the city who love going to museums... They've lost probably $8000 a day for admissions, over four days of course that's $32,000." Simpson said the lost revenue was "getting a bit scary," and urged FENZ to prioritise a solution. "So, urgency from FENZ to get an agreement with the museum on their emergency fire exit is really, really important because we do need our Auckland War Memorial Museum open as soon as possible," she said. There was no indication how long that could take, but Simpson hoped it would be a matter of days. "The timeline for me is 'as soon as possible', but it has to be a an agreed plan." A spokesperson for Auckland Museum said it was yet to receive an update from FENZ. RNZ has approached Fire and Emergency for comment.
