‘Frown for the camera’: The unsettling gaze of the New Zealand wars wounded
Summer scholar Caitlin Lynch has taken a particular interest in a number of photos featuring soldiers badly wounded in battle.Read more
2018-04-11
Shades of blue: Mode & Methodology takes inspiration from the national art collection
In celebration of Toi Art’s opening on 17 March, we asked Megan from Mode & Methodology to come up with looks inspired by works in the national art collection. Here is the first, inspired by Sing Tai Wong’s Man in the mountains. Read more
2018-03-15
Playing Sherlock: How a chair unlocked the story behind a portrait of a New Zealand wars soldier
Summer scholar Caitlin Lynch has taken a particular interest in a 19th-century portrait of New Zealand wars soldier Frederick Rowan that we knew very little about. Caitlin describes how a breakthrough clue, in the form of an ornate chair, led to the intriguing story of the solider’s facial disfiguration and reconstruction.Read more
2018-03-02
Rongowhakaata: Borrowing from iwi to build the exhibition
If you’ve ever wondered what’s involved when museums loan and borrow taonga, you’re in luck: our Loans and Acquisitions Advisor Amy Cosgrove sheds light on the process behind Ko Rongowhakaata: The Story of Light and Shadow, as well as revealing an ‘average’ day.Read more
2018-02-16
Remembering Te Papa’s opening day
20 years ago today, on 14 February 1998, Te Papa opened its doors for the first time. The day was marked by food, music, and celebration. Hay bales laid out on the forecourt lent the occasion a rural, and particularly Kiwi, flavour. New Zealand bands entertained the huge crowds. The sun shone, and the wind blew. Author Conal McCarthy, history curator Stephanie Gibson, and ex-staff member Lauren McEwan-Nugent share their memories from the day. Read more
2018-02-14
Condoms, critics, and controversies: Te Papa’s early days
14 Feb marks ours 20th anniversary. Author of ‘Te Papa: Reinventing New Zealand’s national museum’ Conal McCarthy retells some of the early criticisms, controversies, and protests when we opened in 1998.Read more
2018-02-10
Pasifika on top: your most viewed objects of 2017
In 2017 you viewed 200,000 of our Collections Online objects. We take a look at the top 10 most popular, of which 60% relate to Pacific culture.Read more
2018-01-18
Te reo Kiwi: Are you using Māori every day?
Te Papa is always looking for creative ways to promote te reo Māori. What are some of the ways we’re doing that?Read more
2017-12-19
Big Ted to Rita Angus: Gems uncovered while revamping Collections
We asked the team working on the new Collections Online website to share their favourite objects and images they’ve found along the way and tell us a little bit about working on this massive project.Read more
2017-09-26
Students give our store windows the WOW factor
When the World of Wearable Arts show is in town we like to join the festivities by handing over our shop windows to students from Wellington High School and Queen Margaret College. The year 13 fashion and materials technology students display their own striking wearable art creations as part of their course.Read more
2017-09-18
Meeting a man I will never know: Jonathan Mane-Wheoki
Ruby Abraham, a Museum and Heritage Studies student at Victoria University, has spent the last five weeks on placement at Te Papa working intimately with the archive donated by Jonathan Mane-Wheoki (1943-2014).Read more
2017-07-18
Putting the pieces back together after the earthquake
Charlotte Jimenez, an intern from the Institut National du Patrimoine in Paris, has spent the last three months putting more than 250 pieces of the plaster tauihu back together. Here she explains the intricate process.Read more
2017-07-11
Classic rugby photos by photojournalist Peter Bush, in his own words
Photojournalist Peter Bush has been photographing the All Blacks and New Zealand rugby since 1949, on assignment for The New Zealand Herald.Read more
2017-06-13
Te Papa curators respond to Donald Trump’s refugee ban
In the wake of US President Donald Trump’s order to ban refugees entering the country, cultural institutions across the globe have been vocal in protest. Here Te Papa curators share their thoughts.Read more
2017-02-22
War by post and bullet
Scott Flutey, a summer scholar from Victoria University of Wellington, has just finished an Honours year in History. He dives into the world of stamps and postal history. I’m currently researching the Gerald Ellott philatelic collection at Te Papa as part of the three-year Soldiers of Empire research project, led by Professor CharlotteRead more
2017-02-10