Blueprints and funding are now in place for a climate-controlled storage and curation space adjoining the Owaka Museum, to allow more than 1000 uncatalogued items to be viewed, logged and assessed for future display.
The items - ranging from moa bones to steamship portholes - have been given to the museum since it opened in 2007, and many could enhance its display collection once newly ''unearthed'', museum manager Mike McPhee said.
''The materials started to build up almost as soon as we opened and people saw what a great facility it was. Very quickly we started to run out of storage space, and it's only become worse over time.
''We'd like to be able to do our donors' objects proper justice, so we're looking forward to work beginning.''
Work on the $280,000, 16x10-metre structure was expected to begin in February.
Once complete, additional spaces within the museum would be made available for new displays, he said.
''At present, we use a potential gallery space as a work room, and we'd like to redeploy that to display more of the amazing Lockerbie Collection of pre-European artefacts we have in storage.''
The museum, which also houses Clutha District Council's Owaka service centre, had the fastest growing visitor numbers in the district.
''We see about 5000 into the museum each year, and a further 15,000 at the service centre. We're flat-out in summer.
''We hope the process of cataloguing what's stored will provide inspiration for further exhibitions, and enhance the museum experience.''
Historians would also be able to view new items as they were catalogued, via the national eHive website.
The museum's annual fundraising market day takes place at Owaka Community Centre, from 9am on Saturday.
