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Wikin te Taetae ni Kiribati - Kiribati Language Week

The 2025 theme for Kiribati Language Week is 'Maiuakinan te katei ri nanon te tangira ma te ikarinerine bon wantongan te mwenga ibukin te rikirake - Living our valued cultural practices through love and respect upholds our dignity and growth for a successful future'.

A man is in a small canoe that has a sail in front of part of a Pacific island beach.

Kiribati

The Republic of Kiribati is an island nation of over 32 atolls in Micronesia, in the central Pacific Ocean, with most of its population of over 119,000 living on the island of Tarawa. Find out about Kiribati in our collections.

A man and a woman are standing in a museum store room. Both are looking at the camera.

Pacific curators talk about Te Papa’s Kiribati collections

As part of Kiribati Language Week 2024, Senior Curator Pacific Histories & Cultures Sean Mallon and Curator Pacific Cultures Emelihter Kihleng talked to Brian Sagala from the Pacific Days team at 531 PI about some of Te Papa’s Kiribati collection.

Children in traditional Kiribati costume are performing for people.

Browse Tony Whincup's photographs from his visits to Kiribati

Tony Whincup photographed the remote islands of the Pacific nation of Kiribati over four decades, creating extensive photographic documentation of it's people and providing a richly layered portrayal of their culture.

Otintaai: The Rising Sun and the I-Kiribati climate change warrior

Meet Otintaai, a female I-Kiribati climate change warrior made by master weavers Kaetaeta Watson and Louisa Humphry QSM and welcomed as a new acquisition in 2021.

A view of a woman's torso. She is wearing a traditional clothing.

Te taetae ni Kiribati (Kiribati language) and wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand

Rose Namoori-Sinclair is from Tabiteuea Island in Kiribati and has been working as UN Coordination Specialist – Kiribati. Here she answers some questions about the significance of te taetae ni Kiribati (Kiribati language) in Aotearoa New Zealand.

What’s on at Te Papa

A large artwork filled with clouds of olive green and black paint. Adding to the surreal cloudscape are small, detailed drawings of decapitated birds’ heads, mountains, fantastical creatures and circular hiapo motifs that create small pockets of narrative.

Toi Art

Fresh takes and new favourites. You’ll find them in Toi Art.

Toi Art opened again on Saturday 14 June, with more opening up at the end of June – see what’s coming up!

On now

Sat 14 Jun

Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

Two young boys wearng VR headsets and standing in front of three signs advertising an immersive antarctic virtual reality experience anotu Scott's Hut..

Scott’s Discovery Hut VR Experience

Antarctic Heritage Trust and Te Papa invites you to explore Antarctica and visit Scott's Discovery Hut through our latest virtual reality experience.

7 - 13 Jul 2025, Every half hour from 10.00am to 4.00pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

A child is playing with Lego at a table in the Te Papa marae.

Autism NZ and LEGO whānau fun day

Check out the creativity of LEGO® art by autistic tamariki on display in association with Autism New Zealand. Then join the fun day event for LEGO build activities and the chance to win some great LEGO prizes!

Sat 12 Jul 2025, 10.00am–5.00pm

Sun 13 Jul 2025, 10.00am–2.00pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Illustration of a desk with colourful swirly images 'growing' off it.

Writers on Mondays series

The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

From Mon 7 July

An image of an orange-red table with tea and teapots along with three-tierd plates with small cakes.

Eat Your Art Out

A high tea to delight your eyes and taste buds.

From 28 June, daily sessions at 10:30am, 11:00am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:00pm, and 2:30pm.

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Explore the website – The digital museum

Eight people are standing in the ocean with the waves at their ankles. They are holding bits of bark cloth.

Watch interviews with the tapa artists and makers

Watch interviews with the artists and makers of tapa talking about how they started tapa making, where they are with the practice now, and sharing what their work means to them.

A teatowel showing two small children holding their pants open and looking down. The main message is "Oh! That explains the difference in our wages"

Protest, antiracism, and activism

Read about protest collecting, decolonisation, and antiracism from our collections and tohunga (experts) and across the web.

Portrait of Chris Parker wearing a felt hat. The hat features tiny versions of the key New Zealand public figures during Covid-19, a bag of flour, a tiny self-portrait of Chris wearing his orange hoodie, and a tiny official Covid-19 symbol

LGBTQI+ histories of Aotearoa New Zealand

Explore queer objects, artworks, and stories in Te Papa’s collections and discover more about the rich histories of Aotearoa New Zealand’s LGBTQI+ communities and icons – including the AIDS Quilt, Carmen Rupe, and Xena: Warrior Princess.

Two men press their noses together for hongi

Learn online with Te Papa

Are you interested in peeking inside Te Papa to take a journey into the wonders, taonga (treasures), and events that make up Aotearoa New Zealand’s history? Find out about our online learning options.

Research at Te Papa

Discover our ongoing, multidisciplinary programme of research, and find out how we can support you in your own investigations.

A stack of books both sitting horizontally and vertically.

Te Papa Press

Discover popular, award-winning books about New Zealand’s art, culture, and natural world.

Repatriation

In 2003, the government mandated Te Papa to develop a formal programme for the repatriation of Māori and Moriori ancestral remains from international institutions to iwi. Here you can learn about the repatriation process, see all the repatriations to date, and meet the team.

A woman with two kererū perched on her hands

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