A feasibility study commissioned by the Invercargill City Council has identified the former Farmers department store building on Dee Street as the leading candidate for a new public art gallery in Invercargill, New Zealand. The study, prepared by Rebecca McElrea of McElrea Consulting, assessed multiple location options—including the H&J Smith building, an extension of the Te Unua Museum site, and incorporation into the new Te Unua museum—but concluded that the Farmers building offers the best alignment with investment objectives due to its size, configuration, central city location, and preliminary cost certainty. The council will consider proceeding with a detailed business case for this option at a committee meeting on Tuesday.
The decision matters because Invercargill currently lacks a dedicated public art gallery, with art displayed only in the temporary He Waka Tuia museum and gallery, which the study describes as constrained in scale, environmental control, accessibility, and flexibility. Selecting a permanent home for the city's art collection would support place-making, city center vitality, and cultural infrastructure, and the outcome will inform the council's 2027-2037 Long-term Plan. The former Farmers building has sat largely empty since 2022, and repurposing it could revitalize a key downtown site while meeting the community's need for a proper exhibition space.