Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War re-opens after upgrades, now on display to 2032
Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War will re-open tomorrow Saturday 13 Sept 2025, after being closed since July for essential upgrades to extend the life of the exhibition.
Earlier this year the museum confirmed that Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War was being extended to remain on display until April 2032.
The exhibition changes largely involved upgrades to exhibition technology, but there has been one small addition to the treasures on display.
Curator Stephanie Gibson has added keepsakes from the fiancée of a Gallipoli soldier, telling a poignant story of the women left behind.
Dorothy Broad was engaged to be married to Captain Thomas Wyville Rutherfurd. He survived Gallipoli and the Western Front but died of pneumonia three weeks before the war ended. Remnants of his uniform were sent home to Dorothy in New Zealand, and she kept them as personal memorials, turning some pieces into mourning jewellery.
A new display in the exhibition shows hatpins Dorothy made from Thomas’s uniform buttons, and a photograph of her wearing them.
“With the addition of these objects, we were able to profile a particular woman’s experience on the home front and the impact of the war on her for the rest of her life,” Ms Gibson says.
Created by Te Papa working closely with Wētā Workshop, the exhibition set a global benchmark for immersive museum experiences when it opened on 18 April 2015.
There have been more than 4.8 million visits to the exhibition since opening. Entry is free.
Originally intended to be in place for only four years, it has been extended twice before. With this latest extension Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War will have been on show for 17 years by the time it closes in 2032.
“The success of Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War has been more than we could ever have imagined, and we want to offer that experience for as long as we possibly can,” says Te Papa Tumu Whakarae | Chief Executive Courtney Johnston.
To mark the extension of Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War, Te Papa is partnering with Türkiye specialist, Innovative Travel to offer a unique travel prize valued at NZD $15,000. Visitors to the exhibition before 30th November 2025 can enter the draw for an eleven-day trip to Türkiye for two people, including accommodation, cash contribution of $5,000 towards flights, a guided tour of the Gallipoli historic site or the option to attend the Gallipoli commemorations including the dawn service on Anzac Day 2026. The competition is open to visitors from New Zealand and Australia only.
Te Papa acknowledges the generous support of our sponsors and contributors for this exhibition: Lottery Grants Board, Wellington City Council, WW100, HP, Panasonic, NZSO, Innovative Travel, Singapore Airlines and Blue Star.
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Media contact: Kate Camp, kate.camp@tepapa.govt.nz, 029 601 0180.
Credits
A new display in the exhibition highlights the experience of women left behind. Photo credit: Te Papa.
Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War exhibition. Photo credit: Te Papa