Hawke's Bay Museum & Art Gallery

Home to Hawke's Bays great treasures: Hawke's Bay Museum & Art Gallery is a place of stories, heritage, art and artefacts - a place where visitors can explore and enjoy New Zealand's vibrant cultural history.  The Hawke's Bay Museum & Art Gallery (HBMAG) is currently closed in order to undertake a significant redevelopment project that will repackage the exterior to match the wealth within, and scheduled to reopen in 2013.

The redevelopment project will preserve the significant existing buildings on the museum site; integrating heritage architecture and creating a new wing, which will draw visitors to what will be the major cultural amenity for the region.

The new wing is currently being built on the corner of Marine Parade and Tennyson Streets and will include the new public entrance to the HBMAG complex. Three levels will house six exhibition galleries, an education suite, a large reception foyer, shop, and other facilities.The museum’s new spacious wing and main entrance will draw visitors into the light filled foyer and atrium. It opens onto Tennyson Street, with large glass windows overlooking the cultural precinct of Marine Parade, the Soundshell, Dome and the Masonic Hotel and will be a perfect place to hold a cocktail function.

The new building will connect through ground-level linkway gallery to the Century Theatre and the 1930s’ Louis Hay-designed wing. The Century Theatre remains a central part of the museum complex and with 330 tiered seats is an ideal venue to hold a conference, launch, lecture or film, music or theatrical event.