Free museum entry for New Zealanders and people living in New Zealand
Open every day 10am-6pm
(except Christmas Day)
Free museum entry for New Zealanders and people living in New Zealand
"A day without lesbians is a day without sunshine" is a popular protest slogan in support of Lesbian rights. It has since been adapted in support other identities in the LGBTQI+ community too.
One of the earliest documented usages was a banner during the 1979 Gay Freedom Day parade in San Francisco.
The phrase was a play on the orange juice ad campaign slogan "Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine" from the late 1960s, in response to Florida Citrus brand spokesperson, Anita Bryant's anti-gay rights activism.
The Amazon Softball Club was the first and last lesbian softball club in New Zealand. It was formed in 1977 at a time when lesbians weren’t spoken about publically – they were virtually invisible. The club provided a safe space and an important opportunity for women who identified themselves as lesbian to meet together and have fun through sport.
These miniature works of knitted art hail from Invercargill, and might just be the ultimate Kiwiana tribute to two of New Zealand’s most popular characters – Camp Mother and Camp Leader, the creations of Lynda and Jools Topp – the Topp Twins.
Art historian Joanne Drayton explores the unconventional life of painter Frances Hodgkins, arguing that absence of evidence is not always evidence of absence.
Poet Dani Yourukova responds to Daisy Tinney's photography in Te Papa collections.
Xena: Warrior Princess was an all-action TV series with extreme costumes. In this episode of Tales From Te Papa, host Riria discovers what caught the imagination of Xenites.
For many women around the world, Xena and her companion Gabrielle - characters in the television series Xena: Warrior Princess - were refreshing symbols of female strength, competence, love and friendship.
Pacific Renaissance Pictures, producers of the New Zealand-made series, gifted the signature costumes for Xena and Gabrielle to Te Papa when the series ended in 2001.
