• Tree ferns in the bush

    Read about ferns in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific

  • Mānawatia a Matariki

    There are nine stars in the Matariki star cluster. Learn about each of the stars and their connections in our Collections

A sepia coloured photo of a woman resting her head on one hand.

The We Are Not Your Dusky Maidens! project began with Flora: Celebrating Our Botanical World, a trans-curatorial publication exploring Te Papa’s botanical collections. Published in 2023, the book drew connections between plants, people, and place, led through the collaborative work of Te Papa editors and curators Rebecca Rice (Art), ClaireRead more

A blue floral pattern has been appliqued onto square of white fabric with a blue border.

Flowers are a central part of Pacific identity – especially for women. Archival representations of women and flowers centre on the trope of the Dusky Maiden. However, Professor Yvonne Underhill-Sem (Nga Pu Toru, Alofi North) shows that Pacific women are reclaiming their relation to flowers, and in the process, revealingRead more

Te Papa’s orchid specialist Carlos Lehnebach and research technician Jennifer Alderton-Moss from the Lions Ōtari Plant Conservation Lab are celebrating a major breakthrough after the threatened swamp greenhood orchid blooms for the first time in cultivation, marking a significant milestone for conservation and recovery efforts. The swamp greenhood orchid (PterostylisRead more

Ten people standing behind the large stone ball in the foyer of Te Papa. They are all smiling at the camera.

Last year, the Public Programming team embarked on a new area of programming for kaumātua, for people over 65. This was developed in collaboration with Age Concern staff and participants from a range of their groups to create tailored experiences that provide spaces for connection, knowledge sharing, and learning. Public Programming specialist Catherine Ayres, and Public Programming specialist – Kaupapa Māori Lucy Schrader-Manuera share their reflections on the programme.Read more

In the public sphere, the more ‘flashy’ parts of palaeontology tend to get all the press – excavating fossils in exotic locations and publishing new scientific discoveries. But equally important is how the fossils are cared for, so they are available for research and display, both now and long into the future.Read more

Curator Botany Leon Perrie was recently part of a panel that, for the first time, assessed the conservation status of all the mosses in Aotearoa New Zealand. Here, he introduces a few species you can report if you see them when you’re next mingling with moss. There are about 500Read more

A dead fish lying on dark ashphalt.

On the morning of Thursday 16 of October, Curator Vertebrates Alan Tennyson came in and asked Curator Fishes Andrew Stewart if he knew anything about the fish lying out in the carpark up at the Tory Street building. Worried that it might be a collection item, they went out andRead more