Funders treated to behind-the-gates glimpse of Te Unua Museum of Southland

(Left to right): Te Unua Museum of Southland Director Eloise Wallace, Awarua Rūnaka Limited Director Jacqui Caine, Rio Tinto NZAS Communities and Social Performance Manager Dion Williams, Rio Tinto NZAS Acting Chief Executive and General Manager Matthew Black, Rio Tinto NZAS Specialist Communities and Social Performance Andrea Carson, and Awarua Rūnaka Limited Chair Barry Bragg on-site at the museum.

A community funding group – whose generosity helped turn one of the key architectural elements of Te Unua Museum into a reality – has been treated to a site visit at Te Unua Museum of Southland.

The Murihiku Rūnaka and Rio Tinto NZAS Community Development Fund contributed $100,000, earmarked for the completion of te unua: the double-hulled waka above the central foyer of Southland’s new museum.

The fund was established by New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS) and its parent company, Rio Tinto, alongside the four papatipu rūnaka ō Murihiku (Te Rūnaka o Awarua, Waihōpai Rūnaka, Hokonui Rūnanga, and Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka) and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.

Te Unua Museum of Southland Director Eloise Wallace said she was delighted to have been able to give the NZAS executive leadership team and rūnaka representatives a behind-the-gates glimpse of their contribution.

“The double-hulled waka is what gives our new museum its name, and it will be the architectural feature that makes people stop in their tracks as soon as they see the facility,” she said.

“It was a really great opportunity to show the NZAS team and those from our papatipu rūnaka what their generosity had made possible, in a tangible way.

“Every element of the museum will play a role in telling Southland’s stories, including the waka, which will feature cultural components celebrating the rich history of Murihiku. It’s an integral part of both the building itself, and the narratives that will be woven within it.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the Murihiku Rūnaka and Rio Tinto NZAS Community Development Fund for its support, which enabled us to bring this part of the project to life. The generosity of our community, whether that’s charitable organisations or local businesses keen to support a community facility, is a vital lifeline as we craft a home for our cultural and historical narratives,” Wallace said.

Rio Tinto NZAS Acting Chief Executive and General Manager Matthew Black said the organisation was proud to have provided support to ensure the magnificent waka could welcome visitors to Te Unua Museum of Southland.

“Te unua – the waka – is a powerful symbol of our shared heritage and community spirit, and a fitting introduction to this significant development for Invercargill and Murihiku,” he said.

“Working in collaboration with Council and Ngāi Tahu, we are delighted to see this prominent feature of the new museum become a reality. It reflects our commitment to celebrating local culture and creating spaces that bring people together here in Southland, which we have proudly called home for over half a century.”

The structural steel framework of the waka was installed on-site earlier this year.

The hulls of the waka, which would feature an applied design by toi Māori artist James York (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha, Rapuwai), would be clad in Southland beech in the interior of the building, and Trespa – a durable, low-maintenance timber laminate material – on the exterior. Construction of the waka will continue throughout 2026.