Charles Ropitini shares his thoughts on New Zealand Post Kaumātua Kapa Haka The NZ Post Kaumātua Kapa Haka Festival is an annual favourite for many Wellingtonians and visitors to Wellington experiencing the magic of Matariki, our indigenous New Year festival. For me personally, it is my favourite weekend of theRead more
Over 60 Matariki Wellington events will take place across the region from 13 June to 12 July Matariki is a truly Aotearoa New Zealand celebration. It celebrates Aotearoa’s own cycles of nature, tied to the southern hemisphere’s seasons and stars, and marks the end of one cycle and the beginning ofRead more
Take a glimpse of this remote corner of New Zealand, and follow Te Papa’s scientists as they go scrambling up rocks and cliffs to carry out their research. Three kilometres to the west of the main Snares Islands lies the isolated Western Chain group. They are rarely visited, and canRead more
Te Papa scientists wanted to learn more about the plants on the Snares Islands, which have rarely been studied because the islands are so remote. The plants’ descriptive names tell us a lot about the species. There are tree daisies and Cook’s scurvy grass – and some species so littleRead more
Veronika Meduna, presenter of Radio New Zealand’s Our Changing World, presented Te Papa’s #squidwatch event. In this blog, she reflects on the experience of presenting such a ‘colossal’ event and the role of museums in effective science communication. It’s been two months since Te Papa’s #squidwatch, a live-streamed event during which scientists had aRead more
This morning Te Papa farewelled the exhibition of tukutuku panels which are to be installed at the United Nations Headquarters in New York early next year. The woven panels, which have been on display at Te Papa since July, were commissioned by former Minister of Māori Affairs Dr Pita SharplesRead more
On Tuesday 16th September Te Papa hosted a very special event. A colossal squid from the Ross Sea, was examined by scientists. You can watch the live stream of the event as it happened on YouTube. Squid scientists from Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and the University of Otago joined us. In this guestRead more
Thanks to everyone who sent in questions – our scientists answered as many as they could during the live stream. There were so many great questions we couldn’t answer them all during the event, so as promised, the most frequently asked questions are answered below. Visit the TONMO forum ifRead more
Over 380,000 viewers tuned in over the past 24 hours to watch the examination of our most recent colossal squid. If you missed it, you can still watch it on YouTube here: Watch Te Papa’s colossal squid examination What did scientists find? Digested stomach contents and jelly-filled eyes might notRead more
It takes a forklift, a hosepipe and several dedicated scientists to get the colossal squid from the freezer to the tank. Scientists from Te Papa and Auckland University of Technology have assembled at Te Papa to begin defrosting the colossal squid. As the squid is such a large animal, it’sRead more
On Tuesday 16th September Te Papa will be hosting a very special event. A colossal squid, recently caught in the Ross Sea, will be examined by scientists and you can watch as we live stream the action on YouTube from 11am. Our presenter will be Veronika Meduna, from Radio NewRead more
Have you heard the roars yet? We’ve had an overwhelming response to our visiting T.rex puppet Scotty! We are really lucky that Scotty has been able to visit us to help promote our forthcoming exhibition, Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family, which opens at Te Papa on September 27! We’reRead more
Colossal squid are the heaviest invertebrates on Earth, with specimens reported weighing in at 495kg – that’s nearly eight times as heavy as the average human! Despite their size, large colossal squid specimens in good condition are rarely available to scientists. That’s why scientists from Auckland University of Technology (AUT)Read more
Te Papa is excited to announce that there’s something big – extremely big – in our freezer. It’s got eight arms and two tentacles, with some rather fearsome looking hooks. It’s got eyes the size of a soccer ball. It’s got a doughnut-shaped brain. Can you guess what it isRead more
It is with sadness that we farewell Helen Mason, potter, first editor of the New Zealand Potter and great friend and mentor of the craft/arts community. Helen Mason’s involvement in the arts, from the early days of the studio pottery movement to her more recent endeavours, has become legendary. HerRead more
