Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa Rotorua Museum director Lizzie Marvelly says the earthquake strengthening project on the museum is 'the most challenging” in the country.

Marvelly, who took on the directorship of the closed museum in July, made the comments at an Evolve Rotorua event on opportunities and changes on Tuesday evening.

The museum was closed in late 2016 after a seismic assessment of the building showed it fell well below earthquake safety standards.

In April this year, Rotorua Lakes Council, which is in charge of the museum, revised the re-opening date from 2022 to 2025 due to issues that came to light in the pre-construction phase of the redevelopment.

Marvelly says now much of the inside of the museum had been stripped "you really get a sense of the major challenges".

'Nothing is as it was. There are walls that have been partially deconstructed, floors have been lifted, pools have been excavated, lifts have been taken out. Every single taonga that was in the building is no longer in the building.

'You can quite clearly see the cracking in the building.

"There are certain parts of the building you absolutely, definitely would not want to be in there if there was an earthquake."

Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa Rotorua Museum director Lizzie Marvelly. Photo / File / Andrew Warner / Rotorua Daily Post.

She says the building id made with pumice concrete and what little steel is in the building, is corroded from the geothermal elements in the area.

"The structural engineers we've spoken to have classed this as the most challenging earthquake strengthening project in the country at the moment.”

She says the ground conditions are never stable but 'constantly changing” and it is part of the biggest challenge of the project.

'You imagine a concrete base with something really really hot underneath it, then walls and a roof, you've basically just created a pizza oven.”

She says because of this, the aim is to adequately control the ground conditions so the building can be secure on top.

"It's a very, very complex project.

"If you were going to choose a location to build a museum, it wouldn't be where it is."

Marvelly says the rescheduled opening date of 2025 has 'largely been caused by … those geotechnical further investigations that have to take place, to inform the structural solution”.

However, Marvelly is not deterred by the challenges, saying an opportunity to completely redevelop a museum is rare.

'We want to empower our people, we want to welcome our visitors, connect with the past and we want to inspire the future.”

To date, the restoration of the museum has secured $51.1 million in funding, including $35m from the government and $5m from the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund.

Prior to its closure, the museum attracted 100,000 visitors a year.

Rotorua Lakes Council performing arts director Cian Elyse White. Photo / File / Andrew Warner / Rotorua Daily Post.

Rotorua Lakes Council performing arts director Cian Elyse White says she knows a lot of the community are 'just so desperate” to see the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre reopen, a feeling she and her team shares.

'We have almost identical issues to the museum.

'There are a lot of issues, specifically around asbestos. It's not something you can foresee unless you take the layers of a building off.

'We have identified quite significant cracks in the facade in both of the heritage wings.”

She says the council has undergone a 'sturdy consultation process” around the redevelopment of the centre and feedback indicated a desire for investment in the building.

'However, the cost to do that is just unknown until you take the layers off … that's why we are delayed, we're hoping to open mid next year.”

She says programming for the theatre is difficult as often shows which might have been available one year, are no longer available the next.

She has created about three draft programmes for the theatre, which have been scrapped.

White says the performing arts team is also working on Aronui, the indigenous arts festival, which in 2021 will be between September 9 and 19.

The use of the Pacific Crystal Palace - a pop-up venue - has been secured for the festival and will be located on the village green.

White says the programme for Aronui will be announced during Matariki.

It's one of about five major events her team of three is working on.