A $578,000 GRANT from the Lottery Grants Board has provided a "huge boost" to Otago Settlers Museum redevelopment fundraising efforts, museum director Linda Wigley says.
The grant, which was announced at a museum board meeting yesterday, will fund state-of-the-art exhibition cases for the redeveloped museum.
Some of the "bespoke" cases would be about 4m long and about 3m high, and would help present the museum's treasures in an attractive, but well-protected way, Ms Wigley said.
Through its $35 million redevelopment, the museum planned to exhibit more artefacts which had previously been held in storage, and would also use some of the new exhibition cases to present more rapidly-changing displays, museum officials said.
The museum had earlier been seeking about $10 million from Government and community sources towards the overall redevelopment project costs, with the Dunedin City Council funding the balance.
A detailed financial update was not available from the council yesterday, but more than $9 million has apparently been raised, including a $6 million government grant for the project, announced in 2008.
Ms Wigley yesterday welcomed the latest grant, from the Lottery Grants Board's environment and heritage committee, which is the largest lottery grant received by the council-owned museum.
Museum officials were "very excited" by this "huge boost" to the museum's fundraising efforts.
The museum was also hoping to raise further funds, beyond the initial $10 million target, including to enhance the appeal of planned new exhibitions when the redeveloped museum opened late next year.
Museum board chairwoman Dr Dorothy Page said the grant was "tremendous" and reflected a "professional approach" to fundraising by the museum's staff.
This "unusually large" grant would significantly benefit the museum, she said.
