Museum's quake risk rating rubbished by Southland Art Society

The decision to close one of Invercargill's biggest tourist attractions because it's an earthquake risk has enraged some locals. The Southland Museum and Art Gallery will close on Thursday - its 41 staff have been told their jobs are safe for now. A recent peer review of a 2013 seismic assessment has rated the building at less than 34 percent of the New Building Standard brought in across the country last year. That means it's likely to collapse in a moderate quake but Marion Miller from the Southland Art Society told RNZ reporter Timothy Brown she doesn't believe it.