105 years ago New Zealand becomes a Dominion (26 September 1907) At 11am, 26 September 1907, New Zealand officially moved up in the ranks in the British Empire. On that day it became a Dominion instead of a Colony. That night, electric illuminations on buildings in the capital proclaimed this auspiciousRead more
Here are just a few of the many highlights from the two international botany conferences I recently attended: Botany 2012 (Columbus, OH, USA) and Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology 2012 (German Botanical Society 21st International Symposium, Mainz, Germany). Plant identification goes visual, interactive and mobile Plant identification keys are useful whenRead more
Te Papa scientists Dr Susan Waugh and Dr Lara Shepherd recently completed a study of foraging movements of Westland Petrels. The birds were studied in 2 years and during 3 parts of the breeding season (pre-breeding, incubation and chick-rearing). This gave great insights into which ocean areas the birds areRead more
Sometimes when I look at photographs, I start imagining the past. Details in the images trigger memories of people and places lost to time. These images of water towers take me back to my childhood in Invercargill, where the sight and purpose of the large tower, visible from most partsRead more
Hoards but not seen – the Tanaidacea Knowledge of a significant but seldom heard of group of crustaceans is getting a fresh boost. In its Crustacea section Te Papa has a good collection of New Zealand tanaids (tar-nay-ids) or ‘tanaidaceans’ (tar-nay-iday-see-ans). Tanaids are little marine crustaceans, mostly 2 – 5Read more
In the recent death of Don Binney New Zealand art has lost a major contributor to its diverse tradition of landscape painting. Binney began painting his stylized images of birds in the landscape in the early 1960s. These unique and startling images quickly established his reputation. The ‘oversized’ birds combinedRead more
We are saddened to hear that contemporary New Zealand artist Don Binney has passed away. Our thoughts are with Don’s family and friends.Read more
Back in July, I attended the 2012 Botany Conference, which was held in Columbus, OH, USA, and later this month, I will attend the “Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology” meeting of the German Botanical Society (DBG) in Mainz, Germany. Why so much international travel, you may ask, and why is itRead more
If you live in the Wellington region then I really hope you’ll come to Te Papa and visit Michael Parekowhai’s On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer, which is on show on Level 5 until 23 September 2012. Rather than describing my own experience of these works, I thought I’d share withRead more
It is an honour for Te Papa to welcome this month’s resident weavers for the Kahu Ora exhibition – tutors and students from the Design and Art course of Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Otaki. Under the name of Toi Whakarākai, senior weavers Sonia Snowden, Pip Devonshire and Elaine Bevan laterRead more
As part of celebrating Tongan Language Week: Uike Kātonga’i ‘o e Lea Faka-Tonga (1-8 September) the Pacific Cultures team are highlighting some of the Tongan items in Te Papa’s collection. Today’s blog is the last of our series. Tongan fangufangu (nose flutes) are beautifully crafted musical instruments. Historically, fangufangu were used to awakenRead more
Over a decade ago Jim Allen’s carved Christ figure was stolen from John Scott’s architectural icon, the Futuna Chapel in Wellington. Its whereabouts remained a mystery until it was recovered from an abandoned Taranaki farm last week. The New Zealand Police returned the Christ figure to The Friends of FutunaRead more
Written by Lucy Moore, Exhibition Supervisor One of the joys of being a Te Papa Host is when that ‘light bulb’ moment happens – when a visitor sees or experiences something profoundly new as a result of being in an exhibition. We’ve had many of these moments in Kahu OraRead more
As part of celebrating Tongan Language Week: Uike Kātonga’i ‘o e Lea Faka-Tonga (1-8 September) the Pacific Cultures team are highlighting some of the Tongan items in Te Papa’s collection. This is the fourth blog in our series. Tongan ngatu also known as tapa cloth is an important part of Tongan art and tradition. TeRead more
Tonga’s Queen Sālote (1900–65) contributed greatly to the preservation and creative use of the Tongan language. Queen Sālote was a celebrated writer of poetry and song. She composed over one hundred songs, lullabies, laments, and dances. Queen Sālote has a connection with New Zealand that began in 1909 when sheRead more
