On 24 June 2022, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and decided that, despite almost fifty years of precedent, abortion is not a constitutional right. Te Papa curator Stephanie Gibson reflects on the long fight for safe, legal abortions in Aotearoa New Zealand using objects from the Te Papa collection.Read more
Forty years ago, Aotearoa New Zealand erupted into violent protests when the South African Springbok rugby team toured the country from July to September 1981. History curator Stephanie Gibson takes us through some of the items in our collection that record what many people wore as personal protection during the protests.Read more
Te Papa staff were very sad to hear of the recent passing of Marion Florence Mackenzie (née Rodie) on 9 Apr in Queensland (1919–2020). We knew her as Mollie Rodie, the creator of many beautiful costume sketches for fundraising pageants and carnivals in the Second World War (1939–45), now held in Te Papa’s collections.Read more
Alice, Wonderland, and New Zealand have a close relationship – in fact, New Zealand is one of the very few real places Alice mentions in the two iconic books by Lewis Carroll.Read more
In 2017, a jacket worn by the fictional gang Toa Aoteoroa in the 1994 film ‘Once Were Warriors’ entered the national collection. History curator Stephanie Gibson explains why.Read more
Today marks one hundred years ago Sir Edmund Hillary was born. Te Papa recently acquired a pendant featuring a rock Sir Edmund Hillary collected from the first successful summit of Mt Everest / Chomolungma. History curator Stephanie Gibson tells us more.Read more
Triggered by Suffrage 125 last year, Te Papa curators have been collecting objects around women’s rights, and researching our collections to better reveal women’s stories. One of our aims is to improve the gender balance in our collections. Here are some favourite examples from our curators.Read more
World AIDS Day is commemorated on 1 December. This year, history curator Stephanie Gibson pays tribute to the first unveiling of the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt 30 years ago on 1 December 1988 when HIV/AIDS was devastating communities throughout the world.Read more
With the recent passing of Wellington café legend Suzy van der Kwast, history curator Stephanie Gibson delves into the history of café culture and coffee in Aotearoa New Zealand.Read more
One hundred years ago an armistice (truce) between Germany and the Allies was signed in France on 11 November 1918. Around the same time, a devastating influenza pandemic spread worldwide. History curator Stephanie Gibson looks at two women with ties to both events.Read more
History curator Stephanie Gibson talks to Chris McBride, designer and member of Wellington Media Collective, about artists and designers making protest objects.Read more
Women activists have produced a rich trail of protest objects including the ‘monster’ suffrage petition of 1893. History Curator Stephanie Gibson highlights some memorable objects of the Women’s Marches held on 21 January 2017.Read more
History curator Stephanie Gibson has a particular interest in how tiny things can have big impacts – especially in protest movements. She talks through some of these objects which feature in Te Papa’s collection, but also her personal one.Read more
Te Papa congratulates Emirates Team New Zealand on winning the America’s Cup on 27 June 2017 in a 7-1 series victory over Oracle Team USA. Team New Zealand first won the America’s Cup in San Diego in 1995 with NZL32, also known as Black Magic. They successfully defended their titleRead more
Thirty years ago today the ground-breaking New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987 became law. New Zealand became the first Western-allied country to officially ban nuclear-armed and powered warships from its territory. History curator Stephanie Gibson looks at iconic symbols from the time.Read more
