Aotearoa New Zealand’s most famous photograph?
Photography curator Athol McCredie reflects on a famous photograph discovered in 2020 amongst our huge Spencer Digby / Ronald D. Woolf portrait collection of negatives.Read more
2023-08-24
Birds of the Milford Track
Aotearoa New Zealand has eleven official Great Walks. Te Papa natural history curator Dr Colin Miskelly has walked (or paddled) them all, and kept records of the birds that he encountered along the way. In this tenth blog in the series, he reports on the birds encountered while walking theRead more
2023-08-18
If this, then that – Blastochor, data, and Google Art
We just released over 5000 out-of-copyright and Creative Commons-licensed collection images to Google Arts & Culture, with more to come. Digital Channels Outreach Manager Lucy Schrader talks about why we selected these pics and shares some of the tech that made it work. We love sharing collection images thiiiiiiis much!Read more
2023-08-17
There’s no planet B: how you responded to an environmental challenge
Within our Te Taiao | Nature exhibition is a nature debate platform called Te Au | The Current. We invite manuhiri to respond to an environmental challenge and a proposed idea for how to deal with it. Here, Exhibition Experience Developer Murphy Peoples shares visitor responses to a recent topic about climate change resilience.Read more
2023-08-15
Birds of the Kepler Track
Aotearoa New Zealand has eleven official Great Walks. Te Papa natural history curator Dr Colin Miskelly has walked (or paddled) them all, and kept records of the birds that he encountered along the way. In this ninth blog in the series, he reports on the birds encountered while walking theRead more
2023-08-11
When is an exhibition not an exhibition?
Librarian Amy Phillips responds to a research request received by Te Papa’s library, Te Aka Matua, which leads to solving a mystery and publishing information to improve a Wikipedia page.Read more
2023-08-10
After two years of research our swamp helmet orchid is a step closer to find its perfect partner
You cannot be much closer to extinction than the swamp helmet orchid (Corybas carsei), a tiny terrestrial orchid that is found in a single wetland in the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. Fortunately, recently published studies, part of Te Papa/VUW student Jennifer Alderton-Moss’s thesis, are helping to understand how mycorrhizal fungi can be used to save one of our most threatened orchids. Jennifer Alderton-Moss and Botany Curator Carlos Lehnebach describe the work.Read more
2023-08-09
Birds of the Rakiura Track
Aotearoa New Zealand has eleven official Great Walks. Te Papa natural history curator Dr Colin Miskelly has walked (or paddled) them all, and kept records of the birds that he encountered along the way. In this eighth blog in the series, he reports on the birds encountered while walking theRead more
2023-08-04
Birds of the Paparoa Track
Aotearoa New Zealand has eleven official Great Walks. Te Papa natural history curator Dr Colin Miskelly has walked (or paddled) them all, and kept records of the birds that he encountered along the way. In this seventh blog in the series, he reports on the birds encountered while walking theRead more
2023-07-28
What does a Humanities Technician do?
Humanities Technicians Cassandra Bahr and Alexander Gordon share their behind-the-scenes work with the Spencer Digby/Ronald D Woolf collection at Te Papa: what research, registration and rehousing looks like, and how you can help out.Read more
2023-07-25
Birds of the Routeburn Track
Aotearoa New Zealand has eleven official Great Walks. Te Papa natural history curator Dr Colin Miskelly has walked (or paddled) them all, and kept records of the birds that he encountered along the way. In this sixth blog in the series, he reports on the birds encountered while walking theRead more
2023-07-21
Birds of Abel Tasman Coastal Track
Aotearoa New Zealand has ten official Great Walks. Te Papa natural history curator Dr Colin Miskelly has walked (or paddled) them all, and kept records of the birds that he encountered along the way. In this fifth blog in the series, he reports on the birds encountered while walking the Abel Tasman Coastal Track.Read more
2023-07-14
Matariki: a time to share your aspirations for the coming year
In 2022, we created an exhibition experience, Mānawatia a Matariki, a place for manuhiri to reflect and look to the future. Here are some insights into the types of pledges and aspirations shared in 2022.Read more
2023-07-13
Birds of Lake Waikaremoana Track
Aotearoa New Zealand has eleven official Great Walks. Te Papa natural history curator Dr Colin Miskelly has walked (or paddled) them all, and kept records of the birds that he encountered along the way. In this fourth blog in the series, he reports on the birds encountered while walking LakeRead more
2023-07-07
Three new endemic species of forget-me-nots in Aotearoa New Zealand
Three species of Aotearoa New Zealand forget-me-nots (Myosotis, Boraginaceae) have been described in a paper by Te Papa Botany Curator Heidi Meudt and her colleague, Jessie Prebble (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research). Each of these species is endemic to the South Island but has a restricted geographic distribution. Meet the new species below and find out how to recognise them in the field. All three species have also been beautifully illustrated by Bobbi Angell.Read more
2023-07-03