Making histories: reflecting on experiences of Covid-19
2021-02-19
Curator Asian New Zealand Histories Dr Grace Gassin introduces Making Histories – a Te Papa project exploring different experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more
Living off the land: Lockdown gardens since forever ago
2020-12-23
In this blog curators Isaac Te Awa and Katie Cooper use objects and photographs from our collection to explore some of the strategies used in the past to produce and preserve food.Read more
The only island holiday we’re getting this year – spending time in the rare books collection
2020-09-18
Amanda Sykes and Alice Hinton, Master of Museum and Heritage Practice program student at Wellington’s Victoria University, spent three weeks working on a placement at Te Papa’s Research library. Here they describe their work and adventures while here.Read more
Plan your life by the Maramataka
2020-07-21
Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou! Today’s New Moon marks the start of the lunar new year. So now is a good time to sync your life to the Maramataka – the Māori lunar calendar. Read on to learn about the Maramataka and what each day of the month is good for, and then download a dial to keep track of the days.Read more
Tūhoe country: Colin McCahon and his Te Urewera paintings
2020-03-04
Mātauranga Māori curator Matariki Williams (Tūhoe, Te Atiawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Hauiti) dives into a series of paintings by Colin McCahon, commissioned by the Urewera National Park Board in the 1970s.Read more
Remembering Piri John Ngarangikaunuhia Sciascia ONNZ (1946–2020)
2020-02-13
Today many people in Wellington are gathering for a public memorial service for Piri Sciascia, who passed away 18 Jan 2020. In this blog, we commemorate Piri and his enduring support for Te Papa, Māori art, and taonga.Read more
Decolonise or indigenise: moving towards sovereign spaces and the Māorification of New Zealand museology
2020-02-10
Sustainable indigenised practice in colonial museum models – is there such a thing? Kaihāpai Mātauranga Māori | Head of Mātauranga Māori Puawai Cairns explores the question.Read more
Why a jacket from a fictional gang is in the national museum
2019-12-12
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
Finding a painting in a landscape: locating the site of ‘Waterfall in Dusky Bay with Maori canoe’
2019-11-18
In April 2019, Te Papa acquired a rare, early oil painting by William Hodges, artist on Captain Cook’s second voyage, titled Waterfall in Dusky Bay with Maori Canoe. Here, Te Papa tour host Bill Whelen reflects upon his journeys into Dusky Sound, and finding the exact location of Te Papa’s newly acquired painting.Read more
Matariki: a time for collaboration
2019-08-21
Educator Martin Langdon shares our Learning Team’s 2019 Matariki kaupapa which involved collaborating with other GLAM institutions in the Wellington region so they could reach more tamariki – after all, Matariki is a time for sharing, renewal, and innovation.Read more
Celebrating the second edition of ‘Whatu Kākahu: Māori Cloaks’
2019-08-13
Awhina shares her journey and allows us an insight into the collaborative approach that she took to develop this important book.Read more
Digitising Theo Schoon’s photographs of Māori rock art
2019-08-01
Intern Tim Fortescue-Willis has spent the last six weeks cataloguing and digitising Theo Schoon’s photographs of Māori rock art. Tim describes his journey working with these negatives and reflects on what he’s learnt about Theo Schoon during his time at Te Papa. Read more