176 months at Te Papa: Haere rā to history curator Kirstie Ross
Kirstie’s packing up to leave Te Papa for the last time but we couldn’t let her go without interviewing her about her 14.5 years here. Read more
2018-08-20
Our Kates reflect on Kate Sheppard
What do Te Papa’s five Kates (well, four Kates and a Katie) have to say about their famous namesake, Kate Sheppard, who successfully led the quest for New Zealand women to gain the right to vote 125 years ago this year?Read more
2018-07-25
Buried alive on the Somme, the story of Lottie Le Gallais’ other brother
To mark Anzac Day, and the third anniversary of the opening of Gallipoli: The scale of our war, the exhibition’s lead curator Kirstie Ross shares the story nurse of Lottie Le Gallais’ other brother Owen, who was buried alive during the Battle of the Somme in September 1916.Read more
2018-04-25
The history of purple, from ancient Rome to women’s rights
‘Ultra Violet 18-3838’ is 2018’s ‘colour of the year’, as selected by Pantone Color Institute. History curator Kirstie Ross looks at the symbolism of purple from ancient Rome to the fight for women’s rights.Read more
2018-04-17
Fate of the Berry Boys and the ‘disastrous fiasco’ of Passchendaele
History curator Kirstie Ross outlines the impact of the battle on seven New Zealand soldiers, all of whom were photographed at the Berry & Co studio before they left for service overseas.Read more
2017-10-12
For family or for Empire? The risks of staying home during war
Kirstie Ross considers other notions of duty and service that many men, like Levin farmer Leslie Adkin, had to weigh up in the face of the demands being made on them to serve as soldiers.Read more
2017-10-06
Adkin diaries update: Your help still needed to bring them to life
An update from history curator Kirstie Ross on the progress made transcribing selected diaries from those kept by Horowhenua farmer Leslie Adkin for 40 years.Read more
2017-09-28
We need you to help bring Leslie Adkin’s diaries to life
We’re asking for volunteers to transcribe Leslie’s dairies from October 1917, just after he was conscripted to serve in the army, through to the end of the conflict in November 1918.Read more
2017-09-07
Old new money: New Zealand’s decimal currency turns 50
History curator Kirstie Ross looks back 50 years to July 1967 when the contents of New Zealanders’ pockets and purses changed radically after the country shifted from pounds, shillings, and pence – to dollars and cents.Read more
2017-07-10
The missing Military Cross from the Battle of Messines
Wyville Rutherford’s ‘conspicuous gallantry’ during the Battle of Messines won him a Military Cross. But the medal, like Wyville, didn’t make it back to New Zealand. History curator Kirstie Ross shares details of Wyvillle’s WWI experiences and a unique group of mementos that survived him instead.Read more
2017-06-06
Appealing the lottery of death
What would you do if your wife was expecting your first child and you were compulsorily called up for military service? James Dempsey faced this dilemma in January 1917. History curator Kirstie Ross shows how James, like thousands of New Zealand men who juggled the calls made by King and Country, work, and family, appealed his conscription.Read more
2017-05-17
The expat origins of ‘gung-ho’: Rewi Alley, a New Zealander in China
History curator Kirstie Ross writes about the impact that a New Zealander, Rewi Alley, had on China and spoken English, 90 years after his arrival there.Read more
2017-04-21
Can New Zealand sustain its 119-year-old pension scheme as the population ages?
As the government announces plans to raise the pension age for the first time since Richard Seddon passed old-age pensions in 1898, history curator Kirstie Ross questions whether New Zealand can afford to support its aging population based on historic practices and attitudes.Read more
2017-03-09
Wellington’s Central Park: A ramble through its history
Wellington’s Central Park – less familiar to many than the famous park of the same name in New York City – is one of the Wellington’s oldest public green spaces. History curator Kirstie Ross rambles through some of the highs and lows of its 114 year history.Read more
2017-03-06
Berry Boys in the fourth ballot: Battersby and Scambary
During WWI, monthly conscription ballots were drawn between November 1916 and October 1918 to make up for a shortfall in numbers volunteering for the army. History curator Kirstie Ross shares the stories of two Wellingtonians whose names were selected in the fourth ballot. On 13 February 1917, 100 years ago, marblesRead more
2017-02-13