Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Act 1992 describes our principal functions, including those regarding collections.

 provides the guiding principles for developing the collections, and their care, management and use.

The Collections

Te Papa Collection spans five interrelated core thematic areas:

• Matauranga Maori histories and cultures
• The unique natural environment of New Zealand and people’s interaction with it
• Art and design, particularly the art of Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific in a regional and global context 
• The culture of Pacific peoples in New Zealand, the Pacific rim and in their contemporary locations;
• New Zealand histories, cultures and peoples in a national and global context.

By integrating our collections, we discover new meanings within them. This enables us to present fresh insights into New Zealand’s national identity, through narratives in exhibitions and public programmes.