Our future Tauranga Museum has been slowly but steadily rising, part of the Te Manawataki o Te Papa city centre redevelopment The cover image shows our nearly complete Community Hub and Library, which will open in October 2026 I’m excited in a calm, patient way about the Museum opening, which won’t be until 2028 It’s way overdue for a city the size of Tauranga to have one that showcases all our taonga (treasure) and the privilege of sharing exhibitions from overseas.
The building itself is an eye-catching delight, evoking a sense of pride as you walk past and note the progress towards its grand opening in July 2028.
It’s now June, and winter is slowly descending on us, and so is the beginning of the roof of our new Museum. Once this is completed over the next few months, the building will progressively close in; work will begin on internal finishing and detailing.
It must be noted that we are not the only city with a major new museum being built. Some are at a scale we can only imagine, and all of them will change visitor behaviour in the places where they are located. There are also several new museums and redevelopment projects happening in New Zealand, including the Tauranga Museum, of course.
One major redevelopment is the Canterbury Museum, which is due to be completed in 2029 and is on my future travel plans. Christchurch as a whole is a city that I am looking forward to reintroducing myself to, hopefully next year. As a bonus, I may have the opportunity to take our niece, a varsity student, out to dinner and catch up.
As with many places in New Zealand, there is ongoing earthquake strengthening and opportunistic renovations to many public buildings, and the Rotorua Museum is one of those due to reopen in late 2028 after such work is completed.
Another reason to book a trip down south is the South Island city of Timaru, which is undergoing construction of a new museum as part of a new cultural precinct. Lastly, and further down south, is Invercargill’s Museum, which is due for completion in 2027.
I think it’s clear that people are making significant investments in their communities, underscoring the importance of museums and galleries worldwide. We all know that “roads, water and footpaths are things that make it possible to live in a city, whereas museums, libraries and galleries are things that make it worth living in a city.”
Heading Overseas Look out for New Innovative Museums
Museums have always been a part of our exploration when travelling; it’s a different viewing platform to accumulate more information about a country’s culture and history It’s people today Also, showcasing exhibitions from around the world, which is one aspect of our new Museum, is something I am very much looking forward to seeing, as one day, travelling long distances won’t be as attractive as it has been and will be in my short-term future plans.
As I pointed out, with the amount of new museum developments here in New Zealand and worldwide, we could surmise that 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year for museums, with a wave of new openings and major redevelopments highlighting how the sector continues to evolve.
For those heading to Los Angeles after September this year, you may want to check out the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, founded by filmmaker George Lucas.
This innovative Museum will explore storytelling across film, illustration and visual art, reflecting a growing interest in narrative-driven experiences.
Set on an 11-acre campus, the Museum will be dedicated to narrative storytelling and will feature works from Norman Rockwell, Beatrix Potter, Frida Kahlo and Windsor McCay. The Museum will also include the Lucas Archives, which include models, props and costumes from George Lucas’ film career.
Meanwhile, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is set to become one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the world, with a strong emphasis on global perspectives beyond the traditional Western canon.
First announced in 2006 and originally planned to open in 2012, Abu Dhabi’s long-awaited Guggenheim Museum is expected to welcome the public this year. Located on Saadiyat Island, the Museum will feature a global collection of post-1960s works, with a focus on indigenous art and underrepresented artists.
Opening on 28 November 2026, Kanal will be Europe’s largest development of modern and contemporary art. Located at a former Citroen car factory in the centre of Brussels, the space, designed by Atelier Kanal, will include facilities from live music and performance venues to a
bookshop and library. Kanal will open with ten exhibitions that span art and architecture,
ranging from collection displays to group exhibitions and site-specific installations.
Do you notice a common theme emerging: museums are becoming more immersive, inclusive, and ambitious in scale? They are not only places to view collections but also spaces designed to tell stories, foster connections, and engage diverse audiences.
For us, museum supporters, these international developments offer both inspiration and insight into how museums worldwide are reimagining their role in the 21st century.
PS: Error corrected: the cover photo is of our Community Hub and Library, which will open in October 2026. The Museum will open in 2028 and is being built to the right of that building.
Life at No. 22 
You could have a busy time visiting some of these, Suzanne. You might be interested to know that the Fabrica do Ingles- the Cork Factory- is reopening in Silves this July, after extensive renovations. I don’t know if you ever saw it before it was abandoned? xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jo, we never visited Fabrica do Ingles- the Cork Factory, though we had a fascination with the Cork trees which we passed on our country walks. I aim to keep my future self very busy, and I’m sure new trails and revisiting places we loved will happen. It feels surreal now how we used to take travel so much for granted as a done thing with no obstacles.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I occasionally let myself speculate on the future, but it’s a scary thing when you’re ageing, hon. Keeping busy will undoubtedly help. Sending hugs to you and Les xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very true, and as they say, no one’s guaranteed tomorrow. Though no matter what age we are, it’s still fun to plan some fun activities in the short term. Currently, we don’t plan😊 x
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love a good museum too, but I find I enjoy them more when they are based around a theme or topic, rather than a big shed full of random old stuff. Thanks for all the museum love. Melx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed, and ones like the Museum of Science popped into my head one of many. Actually, sometimes it’s the small ones away from the masses that can be very interesting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed. When they are small, they are usually developed by a passionate group of locals. And I love that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly, and those locals usually have a personal part in that history. A historical house (small museum) down the road has a descendant of the first missionaries. With a unique viewpoint.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That sounds like a good one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Apologies Mel, that main photo is our new Library and Community Hub, when the Museum build progresses further I will take some photos. Whoops, my error.
LikeLiked by 1 person
All good. It’s good to see all sorts of cultural and community spaces being developed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
A year or so ago a museum dedicated to the works of Alexander Calder opened in Philadelphia. Not many artists create/invent anything truly new. But Calder did: the mobile. I haven’t visited the museum yet, but plan to soon.
https://caldergardens.org/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, the mobile shown on the website is mesmerizing. At first, I thought it was a spatula mobile.
Calders’ work will be interesting to view. I look forward to your comments after seeing it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m also a huge fan of the small museum, and some of the best have been unexpected little town museums. While I adore the storytelling aspect of the larger established museums, the new curation style, I dislike those ones which are an immersive art gallery (unless the work was created specifically to be shown that way), you know the ones I mean. I prefer the power of imagination!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I know what you mean. That main photo is of the Community Hub and Library, I will need to put up a photo when the actual Museum building is higher off the ground. My error.
LikeLike
The new museum looks spectacular, Suzanne!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the design of your new museum. Very Cool.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That main photo is the Community Hub and Library the museum building is still in it’s infancy and I will put up a photo at a later stage. My error. Still a very cool building which I’m really looking forward to visiting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really like the look of your new museum building – if the contents are as good as the architecture it will be a winner! And I liked your quote about museums, libraries and galleries (I used to work for our government’s Museums, Libraries and Archives council, and that would have been a great motto for our work!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sarah, that would’ve been an interesting job working with the archives. I did know about your librarian work not the Museums/Archives
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, I managed the national public libraries programme but worked closely with museums and archives colleagues on some joint projects 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry, Sarah, that main photo is the Community Hub and Library the museum building is still in it’s infancy and I will put up a photo at a later stage. My error.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How exciting to have all those new cultural buildings opening in your town. I hope you’ll show us inside the library when it opens. As you know, I’m a sucker for a library, and a museum fan too. Like some of the others commenters I often find the small, specialised ones more interesting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s been a long-fought battle for Tauranga to have a museum, community hub, and new library all in one area, and I’m sure it will be well used.
Yes, I will show you around the new library and eventually the museum. Tauranga’s classed as a city with a population of 160,000 to 170,000. Small compared to Glasgow.
LikeLike
Yes, we have about 650,000 within the city boundaries, almost 2 million in the entire conurbation. Always a sore point, the posh suburbs are happy to use the city’s facilities but not pay its council tax!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really enjoyed reading about all these new museums in progress around the world—even here in the U.S. (Lucas) where the humanities are suffering under our current administration (among other things, of course). One that you showed that I’ve been to is the Gutenberg museum in Mainz. Anything to do with books is up my alley.😊 In California, that includes The Huntington. I’m also glad that museums are now striving to be more ethical in their collecting (though still failing at times) and presenting broader, more inclusive views of history.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pleased you enjoyed it, Eilene. Many residents here in Tauranga think it’s more important to build more roads than to establish cultural centres. Gutenberg was amazing, and Mainz left an impact on us, especially regarding events related to the uplifting of Jewish people during WW2. Heartbreaking, though essential to keep their memories alive. As you say, the displays need to be more ethical, though I’m sure not everyone will ever be pleased no matter what they do. Making an effort to show all sides of history is so important. One day, we may even learn from history.
LikeLiked by 1 person