Plans have been unveiled for an Auckland branch of the national museum Te Papa costing up to $40 million.
Collections from Te Papa, Auckland's War Memorial Museum and the Auckland Art Gallery will be shifted to the proposed centre in Manukau, which will also act as an exhibition space and education centre.
The centre, on a site near Hayman Park, will take two and a half years to build if the plan goes ahead.
Auckland Mayor Len Brown says the centre will focus strongly on the city's Polynesian heritage, and will have a different look and feel to Te Papa.
Work on a business case to the Government will begin next week, and the Auckland Council expects to have it ready before the end of the year.
Mr Brown says the council will sweeten the deal by offering the land, one of the most expensive pieces of free space in Manukau, for the site.
He says a competition is planned for architects to compete to design the museum.