Museum asbestos find forces its indefinite closure, reopening plans in limbo - CEO

The Auckland War Memorial Museum will be closed indefinitely due to the discovery of asbestos, and testing and planning are ongoing.

David Reeves, the museum’s CEO, has reiterated the institution's long-term goals despite the ongoing closure caused by the discovery of asbestos.

The museum, which has been closed since 9 May, could remain shut indefinitely as officials coordinate their response to the issue. Areas of concern include Te Marae Ātea Māori Court, the Pacific Galleries, and more recently, the Grand Foyer.

In an interview with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Reeves says the timeline for reopening remains unknown as assessments continue.

Reeves says that despite modernising efforts in the 1980s and 1990s on the nearly 100-year-old building, remnants of asbestos are still being discovered in less accessible parts of the structure.

“We are still finding little remnants in less accessible parts of the building. So that's exactly what's happened here,” he says.

The asbestos discovery was made during investigative work ahead of plans to celebrate the building's centenary in 2029. Further testing across the museum identified static asbestos dust, which led to the immediate closure for both public and staff access.

Reeves says that while test results show certain levels are within WorkSafe guidelines, the decision to close was made out of an abundance of caution.

“It's really out of an abundance of caution because we know that there's a lot of sensitivity around asbestos, that we made a decision to close. That allows us to do a proper methodical plan on how we're going to clean and reopen,” he says.

Reeves says the timeline is now uncertain due to the asbestos finding, which has delayed redevelopment plans for the affected areas, including the Māori Court and Pacific Galleries.

“What is a bit uncertain is exactly what the timeframes now might be. And of course, until we sort out a plan for dealing with the remnant asbestos that we've found, we won't know exactly when we're going to be able to start.”

Reeves emphasised the intention to revitalise museum spaces, noting that some areas are nearing 30 years old and need substantial updates.

“Certainly, our intention is still to do [that] work because those galleries are approaching 30 years old and they are overdue for a serious refresh,” he says.

While analysis and testing are ongoing, Reeves cannot provide a confident reopening timeline.

Auckland War Memorial Museum. Photo/Auckland Art Gallery

“We're getting further information. Some of the test results need to go off to Australia for more specific analysis. Until we get those back, we're not going to be in a position to be firm about a reopening,” he says.

Despite the museum's closure, Reeves reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to Pacific communities, highlighting ongoing plans to celebrate Pacific Language Week’s.

“We're able to light up the outside of the museum building, representing the flags of each of the Pacific nations that we celebrate through those language weeks,” he says.

On Saturday morning, Reeves will attend a ceremony with Pacific leaders and members of the museum's Pacific Advisory Group to acknowledge the disruption the closure has caused to ongoing development efforts.

The discovery of asbestos in the Pacific Gallery has put redevelopment plans in limbo. Photo/mainlymuseums.com

Reeves says this is an important moment to acknowledge the museum’s commitment to the Pacific community amid ongoing uncertainty.

“It's certainly a time of uncertainty because of the asbestos issue, but we didn't want to cancel that event, so we're still going ahead with it.

“It'll be smaller than we had first thought because, of course, we can't go inside the museum building, but we are making sure that we are still caring for the taonga, caring for the collections, and there's a range of other activities,” he says.

The original Auckland War Memorial Museum building was completed in 1929, with the Pacific Masterpieces and Pacific Lifeways galleries opening in 1999.