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The Canterbury Museum is a museum located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand, in the city's Cultural Precinct. The museum was established in 1867 with Julius von Haast – whose collection formed its core – as its first director. The building is registered as a "Historic Place – Category I" by Heritage New Zealand.
The building, a Gothic Revival constructed on a design by Benjamin Mountfort, opened in 1870. Two years after its opening, the single-storey building was expanded with an additional floor in the Victorian Gothic style. The museum continued to grow over the next decade, with an addition built on in 1876 and an interior courtyard roofed in 1882.
The museum received complaints in June 2020 because of their exhibit depicting a Māori family before colonialism, the dioramas were covered up and later removed in 2022.
The museums website reports that the museum is currently closed for renovation:
The tired twentieth century buildings have been demolished, the iconic heritage buildings will be strengthened and restored, and base isolation added to most of the site.
We plan to reopen towards the end of 2028. A new building will wrap around the heritage buildings and connect to the restored Robert McDougall Gallery. Here we'll display artworks from the collections of the Museum and other cultural institutions.