ResearchRangahau

Discover our ongoing, multidisciplinary programme of research, and find out how we can support you in your own investigations.

Our research experts work in five major curatorial areas, and aim to make their material accessible to everyone.

A woman holding a painting wearing blue gloves

Art research

Find out about our various avenues of art research and who we are.

Two pairs of shoes from the 1970s, one brown pair and one pink and white pair

History research

Find out how we explore history through objects.

Natural History research

Find out about our natural history research and its wider impact in New Zealand.

Pacific storeroom tour, 2015. Photograph by Michael Hall. Te Papa

Pacific Cultures research

We seek to understand the local and global histories of Pacific peoples, and to document these stories through our collection.

A lady caring for Caring for Taonga Māori

Mātauranga Māori research

Learn how we research Māori cultural treasures, knowledge, and customs.

In 2003, the government mandated Te Papa to develop a formal programme for the repatriation of Māori and Moriori ancestral remains from international institutions to iwi. Here you can learn about the repatriation process, see all the repatriations to date, and meet the team.

Black and white photo of a man putting a photo in a photo album

Researchers

Find out about our Researchers and their roles at Te Papa.

Two hands weaving green flax on a table.

Te Papa audience research

In 2022 and 2023, Te Papa undertook research regarding usage and presentation of te reo Māori across various cultural websites, and exploring access to and consumption of museum content by Pacific Peoples.