A name has been given to the building holding many treasures of the Southland Museum & Art Gallery.
The storage facility at Tisbury will be called Te Pataka Taoka Southern Regional Collections Facility.
The first element to be completed of the Invercargill City Council’s Project 1225 was the regional museum collection storage facility.
Construction of the facility, which was completed earlier this month, was followed by the gifting of its new name by Waihōpai Rūnaka.
The previous chairwoman of the trust overseeing the museum’s collection, deputy chairwoman and iwi komiti liaison Rev Evelyn Cook — who is also the council’s mana whenua representative for Waihōpai Rūnaka — said much deliberation had gone into its selection.
"It is fantastic to be able to give our taoka a new home, with a name that reflects that home’s significance.
"The word ‘pataka’ refers to the raised platform storehouse, where food was once kept."
The phrase taoka reflected the southern dialect of te reo, she said.
"Using the dialect of our takiwa further enhances this facility’s connection to the wider community."
The former Southland Museum & Art Gallery Board has also embraced a new name, and will now be known as Te Kupeka Tiaki Taoka Trust.
It oversees the management of museum collection items, and gets financial support from the Southland Regional Heritage Committee and the council.
"The facility was built with a purpose, an intent — and it is equally important that the kaitiaki charged with overseeing the taoka within it are known by a name befitting of their role," Ms Cook said.
A kupeka is a net, often used at sea, to collect and gather items.
Because the facility would house items not just from within Southland, but from the southern region — incorporating far-flung places such as the Subantarctic Islands — this phrase was especially appropriate.
The 1650sq m facility includes state-of-the-art shelving for collection items, office space and workrooms, and the region’s first regional conservation lab.
Council’s group manager of community spaces and places Rex Capil said he was delighted the process to transfer collection items from the museum had begun.
"We are pleased to have been able to undertake a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure our region’s heritage is stored, protected, and cared for appropriately — today and into the future."
