Ms Wigley (47) will take up her post at the Dunedin City Council-owned settlers museum in March.
"It will be a challenge but I do like challenges," Ms Wigley said yesterday.
The museum had "some great staff" and, overall, offered "a really good mix, with the amazing stories and the collection".
The museum's $35 million redevelopment project was already under way and she was "very keen to get cracking" with this.
Born in Sutton Coldfield, a town in the West Midlands, Ms Wigley gained a BA(Hons) degree in art history, ancient history, classics and social and economic history from Leicester University.
She also has a diploma in museum studies from that university and is a Fellow of the UK-based Museums Association.
After emigrating to New Zealand eight years ago, she was initially based in the Waikato and has been Whangarei museum director for the past three and a-half years.
She replaces Priscilla Pitts, who joined the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in Wellington in September last year.
Ms Pitts was also director of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, but the city council has since accepted a consultant's recommendation that the museum and gallery should have separate directors.
The council announced last week that Elizabeth Caldwell (48), a senior art curator at Te Papa, Wellington, would become the new director of the council-owned Dunedin Public Art Gallery, also in March.
City council general manager, community life, Graeme Hall said the appointment, coming shortly after the confirmation of Ms Caldwell's post, was "a double Christmas present for city residents".
