Volunteers such as those pictured here painting walls inside the Mōkau Museum, have been vital to progress. Photo supplied
THE Mōkau Museum has welcomed two kaumātua of Ngāti Tama descent as committee members.
At the museum’s recent annual meeting, chair Murray Seamark said it was great to have Larry Crow and Ngaiwikau Taylor-Manu on the committee and he looked forward to them sharing their wisdom and experience around the table.
“The thing about an incorporated society is that everything goes back to zero at the AGM and you never know who is going to stand for the next year,” Murray said.
“It’s really great to once again have four out of the nine elected committee members as tangata whenua as this only strengthens the relationships within our community.
“Thanks to all those who put up their hands this year and I look forward to working with you all.”
In his update on the progress of current renovations, Murray explained that work, “hit a bit of a snag recently”.
“We realised the boundary was a lot further in than we thought, in fact, about one metre in from where the steps used to end. This threw us into a bit of a panic while we got things redesigned and engineered.
“Our contractor, Dion Adams, had to come back a couple more times to take away more of the bank and we appreciated his timely assistance.
“The upshot of it all, is the top landing is now narrower and we have lost the seating area that used to be up there. However, not all is lost because we have identified another area outside to develop into a seated area and will see if we can squeeze this into the budget.
“All this has caused delays in the project. We are hopeful that we will still be able to open on Labour Weekend, though the weather will have a lot to say in this.”
Murray said work on the inside was progressing well and he thanked all those who were volunteering their time and skills to make this happen.
“From Monday to Wednesday, the place is humming with people working together on different things all guided by our ever-able Kath Jennings. If anyone wants to catch up and have a look at what’s going on these are the days. Just pop in, all welcome.”
