The portrait of Sir Edmund Hillary has been cleaned of asbestos at Auckland Museum. Photo / Auckland Museum“We’ve got the vast majority of the building open to the public and cleared and safe for occupation. The space where the asbestos is is incredibly narrow, and we can’t get a person in there,” Reeves said. Photo / Auckland MuseumReeves said cleaning objects can be quite quick because the asbestos is largely inert and doesn’t chemically react with surfaces. It will return to Auckland Museum sometime before its centennial in 2029.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 07, 2026 20:01 UTC