Is there a culture of exclusion in museums?
Puawai Cairns, Kaihāpai Mātauranga Māori | Head of Mātauranga Māori, looks at the nuances of language and how ‘diversity denial’ can exclude the communities you’re trying to embrace.Read more
2019-05-07
Pussyhats, period poverty, and Parliament: Improving gender balance in the collections
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
2019-03-08
Te Hēmanawa Olive Temara (10 Feb 1948 – 27 Feb 2019)
This week Te Papa lost a very significant former kaimahi | staff member, Hema Temara (Tūhoe, 10 Feb 1948 – 27 Feb 2019), who passed away in Whakatāne.Read more
2019-03-01
The museum as marae ātea – He whare kōrero tonu
In an ongoing series of guest speakers, the Mātauranga Māori curatorial team was recently joined by our previous manager, Dr Wayne Ngata (Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Ira, Ngāti Porou). Mātauranga Māori curator Matariki Williams recounts his kōrero.Read more
2019-01-15
Rātana Church and Mita Ririnui: The colours of service
Today (8 November) is the centenary of the Rātana Church. Puawai Cairns, Kaihāpai Mātauranga Māori | Head of Mātauranga Māori, talks about the robes of an āpotoro rēhita from the church – a uniform with which she have a personal affinity.Read more
2018-11-08
‘Museums are dangerous places’ – challenging history
How do museums learn to tell the truth about what they hold in order to become “decolonised archives”?Read more
2018-10-19
The big OE: How Oceania’s treasures made their way to London’s Royal Academy
With six of our objects featuring in the Royal Academy’s Oceania exhibition, Collection Manager Shane James provides a glimpse into how some of the Pacific’s most revered taonga made their way to London.Read more
2018-10-09
Extract from ‘Ko Rongowhakaata: The Story of Light and Shadow’
The following is an extract – in te reo Māori followed by English – from the new Te Papa Press book that accompanies our iwi exhibition, Ko Rongowhakaata: The Story of Light and Shadow, which marks its first anniversary today.Read more
2018-09-29
Pākehā: The real meaning behind a beautiful word
Sometimes, the origins behind reo words can get lost in translation, their meanings altered to mean something derogatory or unpleasant. Kaiako (teacher) Joan Costello shares a kōrero (story) behind the word Pākehā, and helps us understand the beauty of the word.Read more
2018-09-14
What’s your favourite kupu?
As it’s Māori Language Week, we asked people from around Te Papa to share their favourite te reo Māori kupu (word). We want to hear what yours is too!Read more
2018-09-14
The mana of taonga and what it means for museums in Aotearoa
Iwi Development Manager Migoto Eria discusses the mana of taonga, the importance of its meaning, and generating empathy for one another’s understanding and learning.Read more
2018-09-12
Four tips to help your te reo
Kaiako (teacher) Joan Costello takes us through four helpful tips to keep in mind when pronouncing te reo Māori. Kia ora! (Good luck!)Read more
2018-09-11
The value of te reo Māori
‘The first time a baby was born in this country, te reo Māori was the language; the first time lovers fell in love, and fell out of love, te reo Māori was the language; the first time conflict occurred and was resolved, te reo Māori was the language.’ Dr Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal shares his kōrero about the value of te reo Māori in Aotearoa.Read more
2018-09-10
Reimagining our history: Two young scholars discuss the New Zealand wars
Today is the 150th anniversary of the battle of Te Ngutu-o-te-manu. This was a major battle in the third Taranaki war, also known as Tītokowaru’s war. Here, history curator Katie Cooper speaks to two new members of the Te Papa whānau – Caitlin Lynch and Ben Manukonga – about the importance of commemorating the New Zealand wars and the power of objects.Read more
2018-09-07
The language of agile methodology in te reo Māori: being kakama
In our daily behind the scenes work we use agile methodology and te reo – but we can always do better. Reo Māori Writer Ranea Aperahama worked with the team driving agile throughout Te Papa to come up with the reo interpretations.Read more
2018-07-30