Invercargill City Council is aiming to deliver the new building of the Southland Museum and Art Gallery by December 16, 2025.
During an extraordinary council meeting yesterday, councillors unanimously agreed to accelerate the delivery of the museum, which has been closed since 2018 due to earthquake concerns.
Before this decision, at a finance and project committee, programme director Lee Butcher presented a report to councillors outlining the two options available and explaining the risks around each.
After the council asked to speed up the project, the staff reviewed the work and condensed everything as much it could, retaining the core and essential points of the project, Mr Butcher said.
"So with the powers of the project management and the tools available for us, a good head wind and a lot of money, [Project] 1225 looks to be achievable through plan A," he said.
That option meant that the council would deliver a new building on the existing museum site, a new home for the tuatara near the new museum and construction of a separate storage facility at Tisbury by December 2025 — 18 months earlier than predicted in a long-term plan.
Councillor and Project 1225 leader Nigel Skelt said councillors and staff worked hard in the past five weeks to reach that point and he was pleased with the outcome.
He said this option both protected council’s heritage by building a storage facility and also accelerated the museum project, which was something the community had been asking for.
"I think we have a fantastic opportunity moving forward to give something to the community to look forward.
"There is no question that is a pressure in the programme, but we are up for the pressure without a shadow of a doubt.
"The biggest risk we have here, team, in my opinion, is not taking this risk," he said.
The risk was "minimalist", compared to similar projects, Mr Skelt said.
The construction work at Tisbury storage was due to start in December with completion estimated for the same month the following year.
This would be followed by the relocation of collections to the storage facility before the demolition of the pyramid building.
The official opening of the museum is expected to be later in 2026 following final fit-out of the facility and installation of the collection.
Mayor Nobby Clark was pleased with council's decision as it was a big step forward.
"The people of Invercargill have been asking for a new museum for a long time and its only right that we do everything in our power to provide that. I have complete confidence that this can be done."
