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Museum of New Zealand

Te Papa Tongarewa

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2025 media releases

  • A person is standing in front of a giant screen that has abstract light patterns on it. They have their hand out to it and it is all reflected on a shiny floor.

    Press Release: Breathe | Mauri Ora – an immersive journey into nature at Te Papa

    Wed 29 Oct 2025

    An immersive digital art experience unlike anything seen in New Zealand before will take visitors on a mind-blowing journey into nature this summer at Te Papa.

    Including a guided meditation voiced by Cate Blanchett, Breathe | Mauri Ora invites you to slow down, relax – and breathe.

    Press release He pānui pāpāho

  • A view of Te Papa from the wharf on the other part of the harbour. There are pōhutukawa trees in flower in front of the building and it is a sunny day.

    Te Papa announces organisation-wide review to secure financial sustainability

    Fri 10 Oct 2025

    Te Papa announced today it is carrying out an organisational review proposed to restructure its teams, positions, and reporting lines. Te Papa Co-Leaders Chief Executive Courtney Johnston and Kaihautū Dr Arapata Hakiwai said the review would allow Te Papa to ensure financial sustainability now and in the future.

    Press release He pānui pāpāho

  • A person wearing a headband torch is tattooing the chin of a woman lying on a table under a feather cloak. They are surrounded by a lot of people.

    Te Mātātuhi ki Te Papa: a celebration of the living art of moko kanohi

    Thu 25 Sep 2025

    Te Uhi a Mataora, a national collective of tā moko artists, will revive the practise of tūpuna (ancestors) through the artistry of tā moko (Māori skin markings) and the continuation of whakapapa (genealogy) over a three-day, public event that celebrates the living art of moko kanohi (facial tattooing).

    Press release He pānui pāpāho

  • People dancing and voguing with spotlights shining on them.

    OVĀ Collective and Te Papa serve up a celebration of ballroom culture

    Thu 4 Sep 2025

    Five years after Wellington’s debut Vogue Ball, the creative capital will host its largest celebration of ballroom culture. Presented by The Kiki House of Marama, OVĀ Collective and Te Papa, a dazzling programme of events will commemorate five years of the growing Wellington Ballroom scene.

    Press release He pānui pāpāho

  • A person in a squid squad tshirt is wearing blue lab gloves and is holding a squid tentacle towards the camera.

    Te Papa celebrates colossal squid’s 100th birthday

    Thu 7 Aug 2025

    August 2025 marks a century since the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) was first named by the scientific community in 1925. Te Papa is home to the world’s only complete specimen on public display.

    Press release He pānui pāpāho

  • Three people in green shirts and one person is in a black shirt. Two of them are holding another shirt that is yellow and orange.

    New Host uniform updates an icon of Te Papa

    Wed 30 Jul 2025

    From today, Te Papa Hosts will wear a new uniform, made of natural fibres and produced by New Zealand company Little Yellow Bird. The change is the latest evolution for the museum’s Hosts, who themselves are an icon of the Te Papa experience.

    Press release He pānui pāpāho

  • Men and women singing and performing on a stage.

    Taikura Kapa Haka returns to Te Papa for Matariki

    Fri 27 Jun 2025

    This weekend, Te Papa will once again come alive with the wairua of over 600 kaumātua as Taikura Kapa Haka 2025 takes centre stage.

    This annual festival celebrating and showcasing kapa haka and kaumātua takes over Aotearoa New Zealand’s national museum on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June.

    Press release He pānui pāpāho

  • Two people are in a dark room looking at several small items of jewellery under a glass dome.

    Vivienne Westwood world-premiere wows audiences

    Thu 17 Apr 2025

    The world-premiere exhibition, Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery is in its final days at Te Papa and has welcomed over 38,000 visitors since opening in January.

    Press release He pānui pāpāho