Tiger Moth 

Curriculum links 

Learning area

Social Studies

Which strands will it fit with?

Place and Environment
The Economic World

Key Competencies

Thinking, Participating and contributing

Levels of achievement

Levels 1-8

Year groups

Years 1-13

Which topics of study can it support?

  • New Zealand Technological Advances
  • Innovation and Inventions
  • New Zealand Icons

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How long might this take?

Allow 5-10 minutes.

Where do I find it?

  • Level 4, near the Corrugated Iron Holden HQ.
  • Lost? Ask a Te Papa Host.

Why should I take my class to visit this?

  • The whole class can easily fit around and under the item.
  • The Tiger Moth is considered a New Zealand icon.
  • The aircraft had different functions during its active life.

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What is there to do there?

  • Observe the plane and use it as a discussion point.
  • Discuss design, innovations, and icons.

What should I know about this?

  • Tiger Moths have been buzzing around in the world’s skies since 1931.
  • The planes were designed by the De Havilland Company in England as a simple training aircraft, and thousands were built during World War II.
  • This plane was powered by a De Havilland Gypsy Major in-line four-cylinder engine.
  • It was built at Rongotai Airport in Wellington in 1941 - one of about 400 built there to train New Zealand pilots for the war.
  • It is still flyable.
  • It was originally used to train pilots for the war, then in 1949 it was converted to spread fertilizer on New Zealand farmland.
  • The aircraft was modified to carry fertilizer by replacing the front (student pilot’s) seat with a hopper. The pilot could then pull a lever to release the load.
  • This Tiger Moth worked mostly in the Waikato/South Auckland area, dropping 28,000 tonnes of fertilizer on farmland from 1949 until it was retired in 1956.
  • The aircraft has a range of 459km.
  • The maximum speed of the plane is 175km/h.
  • The cruising speed of the plane is145km/h.
  • The weight of the empty plane is 506kg.
  • The weight of the loaded plane is 828kg.

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Possible topics for discussion

  • Discuss the different uses to which this aircraft was put - training pilots for war and for top dressing to make the land more productive.
  • Discuss aircraft as a mode of transport. Get the children to describe other modes of transport that fly, such as seaplanes or helicopters.
  • Discuss how aircraft like this have affected the New Zealand landscape. (For example, by top dressing.) What other tools have changed the landscape? (For example, the tractor and plough.)
  • Make comparisons to modern aircraft and get the students to describe the differences between modern aircraft and older ones.
  • (Compare the double wings of this bi-plane to the triangular wings of the Stealth bomber. Also, compare older petrol engines with today’s jet engines.)
  • Encourage students to discuss or describe flying experiences they have had. Where did they go and why? Was it for a holiday? What other reasons do they or others travel by plane for?
  • If the students could fly anywhere in the world where would they go? Why? What would they take with them (remembering there is not much room in the fuselage)?
  • Encourage students to discuss the meaning of a New Zealand icon (something that represents New Zealand). Is this a New Zealand icon? Why?
  • Could this plane represent Kiwi ingenuity? (The primary function of the plane has been changed from training pilots to fly warplanes to spreading fertilizer and increasing the productivity of the land.)

Further information

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Related objects

  • Phar Lap’s skeleton on Level 4. This iconic New Zealand racehorse won many races.
  • HQ Holden by Jeff Thomson on Level 4. New Zealand transport icon. See Te Papa Investigator file.
  • The waka (canoe) Teremoe on Level 4. Māori transport icon.

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tiger Moth
De Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth1941built by de Havilland Aircraft (New Zealand) Ltd, Wellington.  Made of aluminium, steel, wood, and fabric
New Zealand Government