I’m just back from the John Child Bryophyte Workshop for 2009, which I helped organise (along with Massey University’s Lara Shepherd and Jill Rapson). The Bryophyte Workshop studies mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, as well as lichens. Although often overlooked because of their small size, these plants are significant biodiversity andRead more

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One of Te Papa’s photographers Norman Heke is usually behind the camera. He’s been at many hui and wānanga, studiously taking photos to put together a wonderful photographic record of these events. This time Norm was able to take part in the taonga puoro wānanga and learned how to make and play aRead more

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Earlier this week Hongoeka marae in Plimmerton was filled with the sounds of taonga puoro (Maori musical instruments) – accompanied by the buzzing of  sanders and the call of tuis flitting among the flaxes. I was one of twenty Te Papa staff who took part in a three-day wānanga onRead more

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Fans of art and TV on demand may already know about the great series New Artland hosted by musician Chris Knox on freeview TVNZ 7, and available online. The programme invites artists to make a new work involving a community. Series two has recently been uploaded, and they are alreadyRead more

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It’s been really heartening to see how NZ has dug deep to aid Samoa after the recent tsunami.  TVNZ’s Good Morning programme broadcast live from Te Papa and other main centres on Wednesday to support the Red Cross’s appeal.  In total, they raised $165,000 in just three hours! Online givingRead more

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Te Papa is saddened at the passing of Sir Howard Morrison, and extends sympathy to his whanau and friends. Over a long and distinguished career, Sir Howard brought great pleasure to many with his fine singing voice, and his ability to charm and entertain. New Zealand has lost a consummateRead more

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In early March, Te Papa Tongarewa was asked by an overseas museum if they could borrow ‘amakua hulu manu Kūka’ilimoku (feathered image) for an exhibition. As part of the process to allow or decline a loan, all the materials that make up an object need to be identified. We wereRead more

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There’s ferns even in the desert. Strictly speaking, it’s apparently an “arid” region, rather than desert. In any case, it was dry.Read more

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As you know from my previous post, Tales from Te Papa went live on TVNZ6 on 1 September.  Over the coming weeks, we’ll post the mini-documentaries to the blog with more information – the stuff our staff weren’t able to fit into the Tales from Te Papa format and usefulRead more

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  Last Friday I was in Hamilton for the opening of the 2009 Trust Waikato National Contemporary Art Awards at the Waikato Museum. I was there as this year’s judge of the awards and the winner was announced at the opening on Friday night. The winning entry was a workRead more

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This year marks the 25th year since the opening of the Te Maori exhibition at the Metropolitan museum in New York, 10th September, 1984. The exhibition was an overnight media and public sensation. It was heralded as an international success and continued its tour over 1985-86,  to the Saint LouisRead more

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This is my opening post in a series to discuss approaches to the framing of paintings. This first one is a response to William McAloon’s post: Freedom to act and takes his blog post as a point of departure. I look at some of the issues involving the sympathetic framingRead more

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I had a call yesterday from Wellington’s Dominion Post newspaper needing an expert to identify some fish found washed up on the Petone foreshore.  Andrew Stewart, Te Papa’s fishes collection manager, identified them as porcupine fish. Andrew says that the porcupine fish lives around in-shore reefs, especially along our northern coastsRead more

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In: Collections Online, Pacific

Te Papa acknowledges the life and writing of poet, playwright, novelist, and memoirist Alistair Te Ariki Campbell. His work is noted for its attempts to reconcile the complexities and displacements he experienced as a result of his New Zealand/Cook Islands ancestry. Campbell was born in the Cook Islands and spentRead more

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In: History