A new museum and cultural centre is being designed for Niue more than a decade after the old museum was destroyed in a cyclone.
Work is expected to start early next year on the facility, which will include an auditorium, stage, library, archive storage and a cafe.
Project Director Vilnus Talagi said the New Zealand government has agreed to provide $US2 million US dollars for the centre.
He said it will give a home to artefacts in Niue which have been in storage following Cyclone Heta in 2004, and items they hope to repatriate from museums overseas.
"There is a more deep need for it other than to display items. You could argue that the taoga in Niue has been not neglected but just been sitting on the wayside waiting to be properly housed,"
Vilnus Talagi said the centre will also give Niueans in New Zealand a place to come to learn about their history and heritage.
