ASB Community Trust has granted $400,000 in support of The Kauri Museum’s project to build a new entrance hall for the museum.

 

 


 


Kauri Museum Trust Board Chairman Derek Hope presents ASBCT Chairman Kevin Prime with a copy of the museum's latest publication, Kauri Cameraman.

 

The multi-million dollar project will enable a better flow of visitors to the Northland attraction, which now gets upward of 95,000 visitors a year. 

The project  also incorporates a walkway through a reconstructed kauri forest, leading to the main hall of the museum, from whence the visitor can enjoy the fascinating stories of the mighty kauri tree as it supported major industries in New Zealand’s  development years of the 19th and 20th centuries.

In announcing the grant ASB Community Trust Chairman Kevin Prime said the museum has “always found new and exciting ways to tell the story of our country and it’s now an important part of Northland’s tourism infrastructure.

“My Trust has proudly supported the museum’s development for the past 10 years and, since 1997, ASB Community Trust has granted more than $1 million to help the museum to grow.”

Derek Hope, Chairman of the Otamatea Kauri and Pioneer Museum Trust Board that administers The Kauri Museum, greeted news of the grant with enthusiasm.

“This is a multi-million dollar project” said Derek, “and the support of ASB Community Trust takes us well on the road to realizing a long held vision of the museum to develop this entrance together with new offices enabling the current office area to be converted for library and research areas, something that the museum has always encouraged even in cramped conditions. 

“This is once again a demonstration of ASB Community Trust’s commitment to the people of Northland in helping to preserving their heritage through the practical efforts of The Kauri Museum.”

Construction is targeted to commence early in 2008, with a number of Northland construction firms already expressing interest in securing the contract.