VisitToro mai

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    Exhibitions

    Exhibitions

    Celebrate Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique natural environment. See Gallipoli through the eyes and words of eight ordinary New Zealanders. Immerse yourself in a room of colour. Hear extraordinary stories from young refugees.

  • Colourful stage set with person in costume
    Events

    Events

    Our exciting programme of events runs all year. Watch song and dance performances, join in with kids activities and cultural days, hear from our experts, and much more.

  • Screenshot of video. A man in Te Papa Host uniform signs “hello”
    NZSL – plan your visit

    NZSL – plan your visit

    Here’s what you need to know before you visit Te Papa – from opening hours to car parking.

  • Te Papa External View. Photograph by Michael Hall. Te Papa
    Plan your visit

    Plan your visit

    Get directions, download the museum map, find out about our parking facilities, reserve a wheelchair, and more.

  • Portrait of Chiharu Shiota sitting at her desk in her studio. Above her hangs the red frame of a sailing boat frame with red wool being threaded across it
    Chiharu Shiota brings her spectacular two-storey high installation to Aotearoa for the first time

    Chiharu Shiota brings her spectacular two-storey high installation to Aotearoa for the first time

    Wed 14 Oct 2020

    Award-winning Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota will unveil a fully immersive installation in Te Papa’s Toi Art this summer.

    Press release He pānui papāho

Covid-19 collectingE kohi ana mō Kōwheori-19

  • A collection of representations of the Covid-19 virus, made from an assortment of materials
    Viruses

    Viruses

    Jo Dixey, a professional needleworker, made this group of ‘viruses’ during New Zealand’s Alert Level 4 lockdown in the 2020, following the global outbreak of the coronavirus Covid-19.

    Collections Online

  • 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
    This Is How I Felt

    This Is How I Felt

    This digital portrait of Chris Parker shows the popular New Zealand comedian wearing the results of his creative response to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

    Collections Online

  • White T-shirt with a black print saying ‘I am from Wuhan, this city is not a virus, I am not a virus’ and a picture of a face mask
    ‘I am from Wuhan’ T-shirt

    ‘I am from Wuhan’ T-shirt

    This T-shirt was created by Christchurch-based Chinese New Zealand artist Cat Xiao in February 2020. At the time, the vast majority of reported deaths from Covid-19 were in mainland China.

    Collections Online

  • Poster featuring an illustration of a person sneezing into their elbow underneath a layer of yellow stripes and the text underneath saying ‘Cough or sneeze into your elbow’
    Cough or sneeze into your elbow Covid-19 poster

    Cough or sneeze into your elbow Covid-19 poster

    This poster was one of an initial set of four produced by the New Zealand government to disseminate key messages about Covid-19.

    Collections Online

More about our Covid-19 collecting

Explore Te Papa at homeToroa Te Papa i te kāinga

  • Abstract oil painting of incredibly rich colours, especially green, of what could be interpreted as a cave
    Online jigsaw puzzles using our collections

    Online jigsaw puzzles using our collections

    For Te Wiki o te Reo Māori we’re highlighting a taonga from the collection. Come back each day for a new one!

  • Three kids make a rainbow from toys and other household items
    Kids and families

    Kids and families

    Do a whānau challenge, a jigsaw puzzle, print an activity book, watch videos, and play quizzes.

  • Two people looking at the camera
    Raranga Matihiko TV – Home learning

    Raranga Matihiko TV – Home learning

    The Raranga Matihiko team and our Learning team have created 16 episodes, designed for home learning for junior and senior students, that weave digital technologies around museum taonga, and exploring kaitiakitanga (guardianship and protection).

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    The Current

    The Current

    Add your voice to The Current and help solve New Zealand’s toughest nature challenges. We’ll share your anonymous response with researchers via data.govt.nz.

  • A group of people march in a line holding placards
    Watch: Stories of perseverance, from Parihaka to Polynesian Panthers

    Watch: Stories of perseverance, from Parihaka to Polynesian Panthers

    Hear kōrero (discussion) on the invasion at Parihaka, the Takaparawhā Bastion Point protests and eviction, the Samoan Mau and the events around ‘Black Saturday’, and the work of the Polynesian Panthers and other Pacific activists in Aotearoa.

  • Two people seated look into the camera – one a man in an open shirt with a forest on it and denim jacket, the other a man in makeup wearing a blue shirt with a map of New Zealand on it
    LGBTQI+ histories of Aotearoa New Zealand

    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.

  • Maramataka dial is displayed on a wall. To the left, a plant hangs into the frame. To the right, a taxidermied penguin appears in the frame. Under the dial can be seen an open book
    How to use the Maramataka | Māori lunar calendar

    How to use the Maramataka | Māori lunar calendar

    Print a Maramataka dial, explore its energy levels, and use it to plan activities with your whānau.

  • Illustration of a tattooed Māori chief 1784
    Tā moko | Māori tattoos: history, practice, and meanings

    Tā moko | Māori tattoos: history, practice, and meanings

    Discover the history and practice of tā moko, and find out why the lines of a moko carved in skin represent much more than a tattoo.

  • Sailing vessel
    Voyage and discovery in the Pacific

    Voyage and discovery in the Pacific

    The history of the discovery of Aotearoa New Zealand goes back a millennium and contains the stories of many fine explorers, from Kupe to Cook. Here, explore Pacific exploration and European colonisation through our taonga, kōrero, and events.

  • A kaka, a type of parrot with red under its wings
    Birds of New Zealand

    Birds of New Zealand

    Birds are an important part of New Zealand's nationhood. We are the only nation where the people are colloquially known by a bird name – 'Kiwi'.

  • A baby grins, he's poking his head above a bathtub. There's water splashes on the walls.
    The little page of calm

    The little page of calm

    Relax with a jigsaw or quiz, watch a sunset video from Mahitahi Bruce Bay, or browse animals and other highlights from our collections. 

  • Green fence with a hand-painted sign on it saying, 'Give nothing to racism' in green and black.
    Antiracism and activism

    Antiracism and activism

    Articles on protest, decolonisation, and antiracism from our experts and across the web.

  • A man receiving a Samoan tatoo in Te Papa
    Sāmoan tatau (tattoo) meanings, stories, tools, and history

    Sāmoan tatau (tattoo) meanings, stories, tools, and history

    Pacific curator Sean Mallon and Sāmoan tatau artists Sulu’ape Steve Looney and Tuigamala Andy Tauafiafi talk about the meanings and history of Sāmoan tattooing.

  • Close-up of 1905 All Blacks jersey, featuring a brown crest on the top and a large silver fern on the left-hand side. The jersey is black
    The significance of the silver fern

    The significance of the silver fern

    The ‘silver fern’ (Cyathea dealbata) – ponga in te reo Māori – is a species of tree fern only found in New Zealand, and as such has become a potent symbol.

  • Uncle Pare stands in his kitchen. He wear a black and white striped shirt, black scarf, glasses, and a black brimmed hat. His kitchen is overflowing with a well organised array of bottles, utensils, plates, and jars
    Uncle Pare’s kai: Matariki recipes and kōrero

    Uncle Pare’s kai: Matariki recipes and kōrero

    Uncle Pare’s earliest kai memory is parāoa koroua cooked on hot embers. Watch his simple recipe as he describes how kai has shaped his life.

  • Manuka, Leptospermum scoparium J.R.Forst. & G.Forst., collected 02 Apr 2009, southern Wairarapa, New Zealand. CC BY-NC-NDCC licence. Te Papa (SP087325)
    Māori medicine

    Māori medicine

    In traditional Māori medicine, ailments are treated in a holistic manner.

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    He Paki Taonga i a Māui

    He Paki Taonga i a Māui

    ‘He Paki Taonga i a Māui’ is a series of 18 short films for tamariki aged 7-11, and tells stories about taonga in Te Papa’s collection.

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