After nearly 30 minutes of deliberation by Invercargill City Council, Invercargill’s new museum has been named “Te Unua Museum of Southland”. The alternative name considered was “Te Unua Southland Museum”.
Cr Ian Pottinger supported the selected name, emphasising the importance of promptly creating a distinctive brand or logo akin to Te Papa’s thumbprint emblem. “You’ve got to get it right the first time... It will give the project some real identity. You can even wear the T-shirt if we get something done like this,” he stated.
Te Unua is a reference to double-hulled voyaging waka as a reflection of several dualities – mana whenua and tauiwi, arts and museum, coast and urban, Aotearoa and the world, according to mana whenua representative, Evelyn Cook. The new building’s design references the voyaging waka.
The te reo name was gifted in 2021 but the original pyramid-shaped museum has remained shut since 2018 due to earthquake safety concerns.
Cook said her runaka had given its nod to the order of the name, and expressed relief, saying, “The thing that we are happiest about is we have come to a place where Te Unua is no longer the target, and we are now looking at what the English version is and deciding on that.”
In addition to the naming decision, the council approved the museum’s new 3728sq m concept design along with a budget hike for construction by $6,009,682.
Mayor Nobby Clark said the increase was “not an inappropriate amount”. He added, “An increase in budget does not mean an increase in rates or potentially an increase in our debt levels in council either; we have other options available.”
The council has directed the museum staff to advance to the subsequent design phase and provide updates for a workshop scheduled for November 28, with the final design approval expected on December 19.
The opening date is expected around 2026.