We have been really lucky to have Kate Logan here visiting family and she was able to do an amazing job beautifying and ageing an old printers cabinet. What a fantastic talent. Thank you so much Kate.

The museum to open in Katikati's old fire station will sport a new name, new vision and new trust, and will cover the history and heritage of the entire Western Bay of Plenty District.

Called The Western Bay Museum, the facility will be worlds away from what Katikati Heritage Museum offered, says manager Paula Gaelic.

A well-respected Katikati business has provided the Western Bay Museum a five year sponsorship for its exhibition gallery. When the museum officially opens in August, the main display area will be known as the Taylor Bros Transport Ltd Exhibition Gallery.

Museum manager Paula Gaelic is "over the moon" having Taylor Bros sponsorship support which she says "is a big endorsement to the whole region".

If you've noticed two new red telephone booths outside the Western Bay Museum - don't plan on making phone calls there. They are the booths that were at the old museum but have been completely restored.

Work begins in March on the fit-out of the new Western Bay Museum in Katikati thanks to NZ Lotteries Commission funding.

“We are over the moon that the funding has been granted. This is fantastic news for Katikati and the wider region,” says Western Bay of Plenty District Council councillor Mike Williams.

The Katikati Heritage Museum was a private collection that the community had purchased in March 2011 by a newly established Trust. The Trust had no capital. The purchase saw the Trust take on a very substantial debt. For the first 18 months an Incorporated Society took care of the daily running of the museum but under control of the Trust.