Te Unua Museum of Southland Museum director Eloise Wallace, Te Unua Museum of Southland team leader experience David Dudfield, Waihōpai Rūnaka kaiwhakahaere (chair) Cyril Gilroy, and Rūnaka project lead Keri Whaitiri at Murihiku Marae. Photo: Supplied/Ngāi Tahu
A hundred cups of tea and generations of indigenous stories will go into the making of Southland's new museum, as the council and mana whenua agree to work in partnership on its creation.
Invercargill City Council and Waihōpai Rūnaka say they're both committed to making sure indigenous and local stories are told well in Te Unua Museum of Southland.
Late last year, councillors voted to push on with the museum, which is set to open in late 2026, despite an unexpected cost increase of $13 million, meaning a rates rise of 1.5 percent.
Photo: SUPPLIED
And now, things were getting to the exciting stage, according to Te Unua director Eloise Wallace.
"It's not just building a building, at the same time we have to create and figure out how to tell all of the stories of Southland - past, present and future," Wallace said.
While the building itself was still under construction, conversations were underway to decide what stories to tell, and how.
The process was a long one.
"It's a huge cast of people who just come together, and just have a hundred cups of tea and really figure out how we can tell these stories with our audience in mind," Wallace said.
"When it comes to museums, people like to find themselves, but they also like to find something new, and we really are trying to really push the boundaries for our new museum in terms of how we tell those stories.
"Even if we think about the name Te Unua, which is the name for a double-hulled waka, it's about partnership and journeying, and voyaging together."
Waihōpai Rūnaka would be working with council on behalf of Kāi Tahu Kā Rūnaka ki Murihiku (which includes Awarua, Waihōpai, Ōraka-Aparima, and Hokonui Rūnaka) to develop the experience within the museum.
Rūnaka kaiwhakahaere Cyril Gilroy said it was an exciting opportunity to share tribal stories with the wider Murihiku community.
He said the four rūnaka were like pou, with each telling its unique story, and all facing in toward a larger central pou, which stood for the story of Murihiku.
Each had their own story to tell.
"Sadly, museums have often misrepresented Māori historically, telling personal stories without the involvement of mana whenua," he said.
A series of wānaka would be held with cultural and subject matter experts, and mana whenua would work with the experience design team to craft immersive displays using the latest audio-visual technology.
Mana whenua had moved around a lot, and their travels made up an important part of the region's story.
"They will go beyond our migration stories and broader Kāi Tahu history to include rich pūrakau unique to Murihiku," Gilroy said.
"No one knows these stories - but we do."
And soon, Southland would too.
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