Claire Regnault, Senior Curator New Zealand Culture and History, talks about the legacy of Xena: Warrior Princess and a new exhibition in Christchurch, We Could Be Heroes: The gods and heroes of the ancient Greeks and Romans, where her costume is currently starring until Oct 2017.Read more

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Back in August 2012 I alerted you to the glorious exhibition titled Angels & Aristocrats. The exhibition, curated by Mary Kisler, celebrates the rich variety of early European art collected by New Zealand’s public art galleries since the 19th century.  Te Papa is one of those institutions that lent paintingsRead more

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What’s happening in the world of loans? There are a few exciting exhibitions on in the greater Wellington region that are worthwhile checking out and seeing some of our collection items at other Museums. At the Dowse Art Museum you can see Myths, Monsters & Magical Things from 9 MarchRead more

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Hardens Hand Grenade Fire Extinguisher. Photographer: Andrea Hearfield.Te Papa

A little while ago I told you about the return of the Masterton Museum collection to Aratoi, thereby honouring a 58 year-old agreement.  In that collection there were some really interesting items so I thought I would tell you about another one of them. It is a very pretty blueRead more

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Ship's biscuit. Photographer: Robert Clendon.Te Papa

In any museum collection you will find items or entire collections that were lent at some point in the distant past, sometimes more than a hundred years ago.  It is always rewarding when a relationship is re-established with the owner and the items or collection can be returned to itsRead more

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Ruatepupuke II at the Field Museum Chicago In November 1992 Arapata Hakiwai was in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago helping to re-install the Nāgti Porou whare whakairo Ruatepupuke II. Ruatepupuke II is an early example of East Coast carving that is unusual for its fully carved frontRead more

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Coming up on 7 July 2012 is the opening of the first major group exhibition of contemporary Pacific art developed by Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Home AKL is a dynamic exhibition presenting works by Pacific artists, most of whom live in Auckland. The exhibition reveals the increasingly significantRead more

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A few months ago we received a rather unusual loan request, on the surface the request looked quite straight forward however on closer inspection  it was going to be rather challenging. First of all the Community Mafutaga Tupulaga Tokelau Porirua had asked if they could borrow some of the TokelauanRead more

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[Dame Whina Cooper], 1980s, New Zealand. Westra, Ans. Purchased 1993 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

In an exhibition that might raise as many questions as it provides answers, Brian Easton, curator of The Makers of Modern New Zealand 1930 – 1990 exhibition at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, welcomes the element of debate that could emerge from his choice of subjects. Dr Easton, economist, writerRead more

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Adam Art Gallery has opened a new exhibition this November: Shadowgraphs: Photographic Portraits by Len Lye. The exhibition runs from 19 November to 18 December 2011 and comprehensive presents a selection of the cameraless photographic portraits made by Len Lye in 1947. Lye’s photographs will be contextualised with other material, including silhouettes,Read more

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