Te Tūāoma Tuarua Demolition 2023-2024

Demolition contractor Ceres New Zealand moved onto the site in May 2023, initially disconnecting services and stripping out the interiors of the twentieth-century buildings, ready for hard demolition, which started in November 2023.

The 1950s Centennial Wing, which housed the Special Exhibitions Hall and the Garden Court building – home to the blue whale skeleton for many years – is gone, along with a maze of small rooms and storage areas. The earthquakes impaired all of these spaces.

We had hoped to salvage and reuse the distinct exterior panels of the Roger Duff Wing. When the team inspected them more closely, they found they weren’t panels at all but part of the structure's supporting shear walls. We’ve found a replacement finish which will be in keeping with the original facade. The Duff Wing will be rebuilt as part of the new building.