Canterbury Museum wants another $50m in public money, from ratepayers and taxpayers

Friday, 4 April 2025

Canterbury Museum is asking the region’s ratepayers to front up with $25m to help complete its $247m redevelopment.

It is also asking for another $25 million from central Government.

Museum director Anthony Wright made the funding appeal during the first day of public submissions on Christchurch City Council’s 2025/26 draft annual plan on Thursday.

He told councillors the museum needed a commitment of funding by January 2026 otherwise work would stall and project risked another budget blow out.

The museum redevelopment began in 2023 after its 2.3 million objects were moved to a new temporary base in Hornby. It is retaining its staff during the five-year revamp.

In November last year, the museum board announced the project cost had ballooned from $205m to $247m, lifting the financial shortfall from $44.6m to $86.6m.

The reopening was also pushed back six months to 2029.

The museum’s plan to cover the shortfall is to obtain $25m from central Government, $25m from local Government, and it would raise the final $36.6m itself via various trusts, corporate sponsorship and a public fundraising campaign.

The board was asking the city council for $21.1m spread across four years and the balance of $3.9m was being requested from Hurunui, Selwyn and Waimakariri district councils.

The Government has already contributed $35m to the project and the city council has contributed $59m.

The council also contributes annually to the museum’s day to day operation and in 2025/26 that grant is expected to increase 3% to almost $9.4m.

Last year, the museum fiercely defended its staff numbers, saying all 73 full-time equivalents (FTEs) were fully engaged in work and specific projects.

Wright told councillors there was enough money to complete the building structure and make it weathertight, but it needed more money to construct services inside the building and complete the internal fit out, which did not include the exhibitions.

If the money was not guaranteed, the project would stall and the costs would increase because the work would not happen seamlessly, adding an estimated $2.4m to the project cost each year.

Wright said the board had “strenuously” pursued options to reduce the scope of the project and some engineering changes had been made but there were no further significant savings that could be made within the brief and existing consents.

The $11m worth of savings had already been built into the $247m cost.

Cr Sara Templeton said the January timing did not work for the council because these funding decisions were not usually done outside the annual plan, which would be decided by June 30.

It was likely to need a separate consultation process because the annual plan consultation had already closed.

Council chief financial officer Bede Carran said staff would bring back advice on options for the council to consider later this month. A briefing was also planned with the museum before that.

The museum has yet to make a formal submission to the Government for additional funding, but has had preliminary conversations with some local MPs, a spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Paul Goldsmith said all future funding decisions would be made as part of the Budget 2025 process.

The museum’s appeal for additional money was one of only a number of requests made by residents and groups for council funding during Wednesday’s hearing.

Some wanted to see the free central city shuttle bus reinstated, New Zealand Opera wanted funding so it could continue putting on shows in Christchurch and Cashmere Technical Football Club asked the council to purchase Garrick Park from the Woolston Club to reduce the club’s costs.

Students from the Next Generation Conservation group supported the council’s establishment of the Climate Resilience Fund.

Hannah Dromgoole, 11, said it was reassuring to know there would be a sum of money to adapt to climate change rather than placing a huge financial burden on her generation.

People at the hearing also urged the council to exercise financial restraint and keep rates rises to a minimum.

The council is proposing a 7.58% average rates increase - about $5.64 more per week for the average house valued at $828,000.

Developer and businessman Antony Gough gave the council a bollocking for previous transport decisions made in the central city and high rates increases, which he said were killing businesses.

He said the cycleway down Park Tce was “loopy and nutty”.

The draft annual plan hearings continue next week.