Rotorua Museum closure: Council spends more than $300k a year to store $21.5m art collection

Local Democracy Reporter, Rotorua·Rotorua Daily Post·16 Aug, 2026 06:00 PM3 mins to read‌Former Rotorua Museum curator Paul Tapsell in front of Ngāti Whakaue chief Pūkaki at the museum storage site in 2024. Photo / Laura SmithRotorua Lakes Council is spending more than $319,000 a year to store, insure and maintain a $21 million-plus art collection – much of which the public hasn’t seen since Rotorua Museum closed in 2016. The council holds 2878 works of art, including 1526 donated pieces, and stores 348 works owned