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Logo for Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Open every day 10am—6pm
(except Christmas Day)

Free entry for everyone
Charges apply to some short-term exhibitions and activities

55 Cable Street, Wellington

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  • A large-scale, woven installation that is suspended from above and spans a double-height gallery space with a wooden floor and white walls. Woven, grey and reflective tie-downs create shadows and reflections on the walls and floor.

    Mataaho Collective: Te Puni Aroaro

    Experience the ground-breaking artworks of Mataaho Collective – four wāhine Māori artists who have worked together for the last decade.

  • A group of Māori men lift a waka onto the shore

    He Kaupapa Waka

    See powerful photos of the waka fleet that gathered on Waitangi Day in 2020 to commemorate the 80-year anniversary of the 1940 launch of Ngātokimatawhāorua – named after the ancestral waka that made the voyage from Hawaiki to Aotearoa.

  • Close-up of a hīnaki (eel trap) showing its weavings

    Hīnaki: Contemplation of a Form

    This exhibition shows hīnaki (eel traps) with their sculptural dimensions and intricate designs, photographs from early museum expeditions, Māori relationships with two significant awa, and contemporary artworks related or responding to hīnaki.

  • General view of the Tangata a le Moana discovery centre

    Tangata o le Moana: The story of Pacific people in New Zealand

    Celebrate the culture and history of the Pacific. Tangata o le Moana tells the story of Pacific people, past and present.

  • View looking through the entrance of the exhibition, Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War, showing a large wounded soldier drawing his gun

    Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War

    This ground-breaking exhibition tells the story of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I through the eyes and words of eight ordinary New Zealanders who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances.

Te Reo Māori at Te Papa

  • Screengrab of Ngā Taniwha o Rūpapa
    What’s in a name? The trail to Ngā Taniwha o Rūpapa

    What’s in a name? The trail to Ngā Taniwha o Rūpapa

    Ariki Spooner, Kaitaki Tīma Tuhituhi Reo Māori, discusses the process of arriving at the te reo Māori name Ngā Taniwha o Rūpapa for the Dinosaurs of Patagonia exhibition coming this summer.

    Te Papa Blog

  • =""
    Te reo Māori activity book

    Te reo Māori activity book

    Celebrate Māori language by learning Māori words and phrases through simple activities. Download two free activity books for kids – focused on pronunciation, the other includes more word searches, crossword, colouring pages, and stories.

  • Jade pendant in a human form
    Te reo Māori quiz

    Te reo Māori quiz

    Brush up on your basic te reo Māori through a quick quiz!

  • Procession for Māori Language Week
    Māori language at Te Papa

    Māori language at Te Papa

    Articles, quizzes, events, and activity books to celebrate and learn about te Reo Māori.

  • A photo of a worktable with a laptop and sheets of paper with post-it notes on them.
    Audience research: Use of te reo Māori on Aotearoa New Zealand cultural websites

    Audience research: Use of te reo Māori on Aotearoa New Zealand cultural websites

    In 2023, three organisations from the national cultural sector wanted to research how to plan and improve the usage and presentation of te reo Māori across each of the organisations’ websites.

Now open in Toi Art: This Swaying Earth | Tēnei Papa Tīoi

  • Exhibition view showing a large painting on the wall in the centre, and four smaller paintings beside it on the right
    Arranging Nature

    Arranging Nature

    This exhibition features works by artists and photographers including George Vernon Hudson, Nancy Adams, John Buchanan, Sarah Featon, Herbert Dobbie, and Ayesha Green.

    On now
    23 Sep 2023 – mid 2024

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • ""
    Wayne Barrar: Mai i te Pūranga Kōata | From the Glass Archive

    Wayne Barrar: Mai i te Pūranga Kōata | From the Glass Archive

    Diatoms are tiny organisms that live in oceans, rivers, and lakes. The 19th century saw a craze for arranging the silica skeleton fossils of diatoms and other micro-organisms on glass slides for viewing through microscopes. Photographer Wayne Barrar has delved into this ‘glass archive’ to explore its microscopic wonders.

    On now
    23 Sep 2023 – mid 2024

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • View of a gallery space. It is dimly lit. In the foreground hangs large pieces of kelp lit by a rainbow of neon lighting. In the background, projected onto the wall, is a video work comprising of many ceramic pots housing plants the are outgrowing them
    This Natural World

    This Natural World

    This exhibition demonstrates how artists and makers work with nature – using forms and materials to connect with knowledge and stories held in the natural world around us.

    On now
    23 Sep 2023 – mid 2024

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Installation view of the artwork “Extensum/Extensor”. It comprises of a long sheet of rusted paper which hangs from the ceiling and rolls out across the floor. On the floor part of the paper, thins rods in floor green stick out, like hairs
    یکی بود یکی نبود | Tērā te Wā | Memory Spaces

    یکی بود یکی نبود | Tērā te Wā | Memory Spaces

    Persian stories often begin with یکی بود یکی نبود (‘yeki bood, yeki nabood’), or ‘one was, one was not’. Here, artworks by Selina Ershadi and Pauline Rhodes explore ideas of presence and absence to tell stories about place and memory.

    On now
    23 Sep 2023 – mid 2024

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

Explore This Swaying Earth | Tēnei Papa Tīoi

What’s on at Te Papa

  • An illustration of children having fun
    School Holiday Kids’ Activities

    School Holiday Kids’ Activities

    Jump into the fun at Te Papa these school holidays with our activities. These whānau-friendly events are for children accompanied by adults.

  • Close-up of a hīnaki (eel trap) showing its weavings
    Hīnaki: Contemplation of a Form

    Hīnaki: Contemplation of a Form

    This exhibition provides a broad experience of hīnaki (eel traps). As well as displaying these taonga, it focuses on two early museum expeditions, Māori relationships with two significant rivers, and contemporary artworks related or responding to hīnaki.

    On now
    10 Jun 2023 – mid 2024

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Closeup on a woman's face who has 50s glasses on, a fur hat, and a fur-trimmed coat. There are people behind her.osely.
    Ans Westra 1936–2023

    Ans Westra 1936–2023

    This exhibition celebrates the life and work of Ans Westra, one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most renowned photographers.

    Closed
    18 Mar – 17 Sep 2023

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • ""
    Manu Rere Moana

    Manu Rere Moana

    The navigation of the Pacific by waka hourua | double-hulled sailing waka is one of the great achievements of human technology. This exhibition celebrates the mātauranga of celestial navigation that enabled these extraordinary voyages.

    On now
    Permanent exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

Find more events

What’s new on our website

  • Two balls made from flax and rafia with a cord each are hanging on a black background.
    Poi

    Poi

    Learn about poi in our collections, explore stories intertwined with this practice, and watch the techniques and performances by kaumātua (respected elders) in te ao Māori.

  • A small flowering plant on the side of a tree. The flowers are yellow.
    Orchids in Aotearoa New Zealand

    Orchids in Aotearoa New Zealand

    There are over 100 species of orchids in Aotearoa New Zealand and come in a variety of shapes, colours, and dimensions. They thrive in diverse habitats across the country. Take a look at Te Papa's research and work with orchids as well as highlights from our collections.

  • A hawk in mid flight. The bird is in focus and the background is blurred.
    Birds of the Great Walks of Aotearoa New Zealand

    Birds of the Great Walks of Aotearoa New Zealand

    Aotearoa New Zealand has ten official Great Walks. Te Papa natural history curator Dr Colin Miskelly has walked (or paddled) them all and kept records of the birds that he encountered along the way.

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

    Antiracism and activism

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

  • Procession for Māori Language Week
    Māori language at Te Papa

    Māori language at Te Papa

    Articles, quizzes, events, and activity books to celebrate and learn about te Reo Māori.

Discover more

What we’re researching

  • a split black and white image of two sitting men posing for a studio photograph.
    Portraits of the Wellington Indian community

    Portraits of the Wellington Indian community

    We are kaitiaki (caretakers) of many photographic portraits featuring members of Wellington’s Indian community and would like to identify the people in these portraits and learn something about their lives here, and to reconnect them with their descendants. Do you recognise any of the names or faces in this collection?

  • Clumps of flowers on a spiky bush high up in the snowy mountains.
    Relationships and naming of New Zealand flowering plants

    Relationships and naming of New Zealand flowering plants

    Using genetics to understand the relationships of the following flowering plant genera in New Zealand: Aciphylla, Alseuosmia, Juncus, Pseudopanax, Schoenus and Sophora.

  • A pink mask on a mannequin head with the words "anti anti Asian" embroidered on it
    Asian mental health in Aotearoa New Zealand

    Asian mental health in Aotearoa New Zealand

    Exploring the profound psychological distress caused by the pandemic for Asian communities worldwide, including in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the consistent call for a greater focus on mental health issues.

  • Black and white photo of two people standing in a field next to a piece of weaving
    Mapping the Sāmoa Collection

    Mapping the Sāmoa Collection

    This project aims to enhance museum catalogue records and develop digital maps to contextualise taonga; enhancing their visibility and improving associated biographies, which then allows communities to utilise and share these resources, as well as support museum collections and knowledge.

  • Research
    Research

    Research

    Discover our programme of research, and get support for your own investigations.

Explore what our curators and researchers are working on

Get involved Whakaeke mai

  • Become a Friend of Te Papa

    Become a Friend of Te Papa

    Friends enjoy a range of benefits and discounts with their membership, including invitations to exhibition previews and private viewings.

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  • Get the latest updates from us

    Get the latest updates from us

    Stay in the loop about the wide range of happenings at Te Papa.

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    Support us through the Foundation

    Find out how you can support Te Papa through a donation or bequest, or by becoming a patron.

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Open every day 10am–6pm (except Christmas Day)

Free entry for everyone.
Charges apply to some short-term exhibitions and activities.

Museum of New Zealand
Te Papa Tongarewa

55 Cable Street
PO Box 467
Wellington, 6011
New Zealand
Phone: +64 (04) 381 7000

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