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Collection on the Move

We need your support.

We’re building a new ARC (Archives, Research, and Collection) facility in Richmond to protect and share the treasured Nelson Tasman regional heritage collection.

With support already confirmed from local councils, trusts, and foundations, we’re nearly there, but we need your help to complete this project. We are now raising funds to relocate our collection and purchase new storage systems.

Every gift, no matter the size, makes a difference. Your donation will help safeguard our shared heritage for generations to come. Donate today and be part of this incredible journey!

Make a donation today

Support our ARC Project by contributing a donation.

Payment Options

Online:

Donations may be made online using the above form.

Bank Transfer:

Bank: Westpac

Account Name: Tasman Bays Heritage Trust

Account Number: 03 0703 0824436 002

Please identify your gift using:

Particulars: ARC

Code: Your surname

Reference: Donation

Tax Credit

Donations of $5 or more to the Tasman Bays Heritage Trust Museums Board are eligible for a tax credit.

The museum is governed by Tasman Bays Heritage Trust, a charitable trust registered with the Charities Services, Ngā Ratonga Kaupapa Atawha (charitable trust number CC25868).

Contact us

For more information about supporting the ARC Project or to discuss contributing to the museum, please email ceo@museumnp.org.nz or call the museum on +64 3 548 9588

The ARC project

After an extensive review of options, building a new ARC facility on a greenfield site in Richmond, Tasman emerged as the preferred and most financially sustainable option.

The move to the new site in Richmond will have significant operational and accessibility benefits:

Easy, free parking for researchers, whānau, school groups, and kaumatua

Increased storage space for our growing collections and room for future extensions
Designed with kaumatua accessibility and the care of taonga Māori at its core
Provides excellent opportunities to expand education services, particularly for secondary school classes
Modern, purpose built facilities enable staff to work safely and efficiently
As the regional Museum of Nelson Tasman, it enables one facility in each stakeholder location for a better spread of services for all our communities
A fit for purpose building that meets international standards for the storage of collections

We cannot continue to protect and preserve the collection in the current end-of-life facility at Isel Park.

The move to a modern, purpose built ARC Facility in Richmond is essential to safeguard our region’s cultural heritage for future generations.

The new ARC (Archives, Research and Collection) facility is essential to protect and preserve the Nelson Tasman regional heritage collection that reflects our identity and to increase access to this treasured collection.

Why a new facility?

Our current facility in Isel Park no longer meets the standards required to ensure the long-term protection and preservation of our precious collections.

The Isel facility is at end of life. The building is compromised by asbestos, leaks, aged wiring, is in an inundation zone and has insufficient space to accommodate the growing collection. Plus the building cannot be brought up to a standard required to care for the museum's national and internationally significant collection

Without a dedicated, modern space designed for the care and preservation of taonga Māori and our region’s unique heritage, these irreplaceable objects remain at risk. The ARC (Archives, Research and Collection) Facility will secure these treasures for future generations, providing museum standard climate control and storage care, which are simply not achievable within the existing building.

Our beloved Trafalgar Street museum in Nelson will remain the heart of our exhibitions and educational programmes. The ARC Facility is not about shifting the public face of the museum, it is about safeguarding the collections for the future and strengthening our exhibitions, research, and learning experiences.

The collection

Nelson Provincial Museum creates unforgettable experiences for its visitors and community. Protecting and preserving our valuable collection is crucial to continuing to do this. With one of the oldest and most significant regional collections, we care for over:

300,000 precious objects
1.2 million photographs
150,000 unique documents
A collection valued at over $20 million

By building a new home for our treasured collection the museum can continue to deliver engaging exhibitions and education programmes and facilitate valuable research.

ARC FAQ’s

- The current Isel facility has reached end of life. The building is compromised by asbestos, leaks, aged wiring, is in an inundation zone (flooding risk) and no longer meets modern museum standards. It’s also at full capacity and the museum is already storing the collection in multiple sites.
- The Isel facility is also too cramped to be used by schools, iwi, community and research groups.
- In a 2025 building report by Kaupapa Projects, it stated, “specifically for a building housing collections of significant cultural value, the building is unfit in almost every measurable criteria.”
- In 2019, the museum had planned to build the ARC in Church Street, Nelson. However, with Central Government closing the Regional Heritage Fund in 2024, the Church Street project has become financially unviable.
- After an exhaustive review of options, building a new, fit for purpose facility on a new greenfield site in Richmond has emerged as the preferred and most financially sustainable option.
- The proposal is for a single story building, resulting in lower construction costs (no lift or stairwell, more efficient use of space, and quicker to build).
- Crucially, we have agreed on a fixed build contractso no further financial contribution will be required for the build.
- This proposal will deliver significant operational and accessibility benefits. In addition, more space will accommodate the growing collection.
- The new facility will be over 1500m2 with secure, climate controlled storage for the long term preservation of the collection that meets international standards
- Modern shelving and housing for objects of all sizes and materials
- Conservation and research work areas for staff
- 30% more space to accommodate the growing collection and room for future expansion
- Easy, free parking for researchers, whānau, school groups, and kaumatua
- Designed with kaumatua accessibility and the care of taonga Māori at its core
- Opportunities to expanded education services and outreach
- It will protect taonga and objects that represent our shared histories of the region for future generations.
- It will make more of the collection available and accessible for exhibitions, schools, researchers and the community
- It strengthens partnerships with iwi/hapū for the safe care of taonga.
- It supports local pride and tourism by safeguarding Nelson Tasman’s heritage.
- The total budgeted project cost is $9.8 million
- $7.15m of the total cost is a fixed price build, which has been rigorously reviewed by a quantity surveyor and identified as ‘competitive and below independent estimate’
- The new proposal reduces the estimated cost of the project by $6 million (from the original $14.9 million budget) and still delivers a fit for purpose facility. $3M was set aside in 2018 by Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council in 2021 to fund the project.
- With Council contributions, cash reserves, loans, grants and the sale of the Church Street site the museum has $8.6m committed towards the project. The remaining $1.12m funding shortfall required for furniture, fittings, shelving and the collection relocation will be covered by community fundraising, sponsorship and grants.
- This project will not cost ratepayers any more money because the two councils have already budgeted for the project in their Long Term Plans
- The museum has already secured $700,000 in pledged funds.
- The total budgeted project cost is $9.8 million.
- $7.15m of the total project cost is a fixed price build, which is inclusive of contingency & provisional sum, mechanical & HVAC, consenting fees and contractor margins) This has been rigorously reviewed by a quantity surveyor and identified as ‘competitive and below independent estimate.’
- $1,120,000 of the project cost is for FF&E (Furniture, Fittings & Equipment), collection shelving and the relocation of the collection
- $1,529,711 of the project cost is for project management, procurement, interest and site purchase
The museum is proposing to build a single story, purpose built archives, research and collections facility in Richmond, Tasman. The actual museum will remain in Nelson City centre.
- Construction is expected to begin in early 2026 once funding for the project has been confirmed. The museum has been advised that it will be an approximately 18-month build.
- Updates will be shared regularly through our website, newsletters, and social media.
You can support the project by:
- Donating to our fundraising campaigns and attending our fundraising events.
- Donate ‘in-kind’ goods and services, supporting us with auction items or products for our building fit-out. Please contact us if you would like to contribute.
- Follow our updates on social media.