Ever wondered how different people’s surnames end up as part of the scientific names given to plants and animals? It is considered very bad form to name a new species that you describe after yourself, but someone else might do it for you as a mark of respect. That isRead more
93 years ago the first health camp opens at Turakina (25 November 1919) New Zealand’s first health camp was founded by Dr Elizabeth Gunn. The first group of 55 children stayed in tents for three weeks. Gunn had been a military doctor, and brought this experience with her to the runningRead more
Sam Johnson of the Canterbury’s Student Volunteer Army (SVA) is in the news again! This time, however, the world’s media have zoomed in not on Sam’s amazing volunteer work and leadership following the Canterbury Earthquakes, but on his dance moves. During Prince Charles and Camilla’s recent visit to Christchurch, Sam took the Duchess of Cornwall for a spin onRead more
Dr Lara Shepherd, who’s been working with us on genetics research since January 2012 has just been awarded a prestigious Rutherford Fellowship. Only 10 fellowships are awarded each year, with a total of $8 m granted. The fellowships are awarded on the basis of the excellence of the candidates workRead more
Cloak on display-opening blessing for Te Papa exhibitions, National Museum of China, 31st October 2012. Photographer John B. Turner, Beijing. “The smallest is as great as the largest.” October 1st, 1957. Dusk descends on Tiananmen Square, Peking, now known as Beijing. Fireworks crackle light across the night sky, above a city aliveRead more
Brian Brake grew up in Arthur’s Pass and retained a love of New Zealand’s mountains all his life. He took hundreds of photographs of South Island peaks, lakes and rivers. If you’re an alpine enthusiast, a keen tramper, or you know the South Island well, please take a look andRead more
Where would you go to find a new species? Perhaps somewhere remote and little-visited, especially if it is ecologically unusual – New Caledonia maybe… Well, instead, how about inside Te Papa’s collections, because that’s where I first discovered a new species of Gleichenia tangle fern. A lot of biodiversity remainsRead more
This afternoon I have been sitting down to write a wall label about New Zealand artist Don Driver’s incredible work in Te Papa’s collection Blue and green Pacific (1978). I’ve become rather hung up on a particular detail: the yellow sack in the centre. I’d dearly like to know whatRead more
I’ve been asked a lot of questions about why some of the new acquisitions were pursued and why they were put into this show, so hopefully this entry will help answer some of the queries and shed light on the curatorial decisions made for Uniformity. In my last blog Uniformity: WhyRead more
The Spade-toothed whale Mesoplodon traversii, is now known from 5 specimens, three of which are housed at Te Papa. With only one of these specimens a complete skeleton, the species is as rare as they come – even among beaked whales – the most elusive of all the world’s whales. WhalesRead more
Even in this well-informed age it’s surprising how much we still don’t know about the natural world – especially the oceans! All whales must come to the surface to breathe, despite this the Spade-tooth whale Mesoplodon traversii (Gray, 1874), an animal over 5m in length, has never been see alive, and untilRead more
Over the next little while I am going to let you know where you will see Te Papa’s collection items on display at other places. Today I am going to let you know where to see some of the items in our history collection in the South Island. If youRead more
Since the Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, Te Papa has been collecting objects relating to the earthquakes. We have been particularly interested in objects which demonstrate acts of public support, such as fundraising and spirit-raising initiatives, and creative and entrepreneurial responses to the earthquakes. ’Aftersocks’, 2011, New Zealand. Rural Women New Zealand, New ZealandRead more
In 1978 contemporary New Zealand artist Barry Thomas undertook a public art project in inner city Wellington. Utilising a vacant lot on the corner of Willis and Manners Streets, the artist and his friends cut through a wire perimeter fence, delivered a truckload of top soil to the site andRead more
