EventsNgā kaupapa motuhake

Our exciting programme of ngā kaupapa motuhake runs all year. Watch song and dance performances, join in with kids activities and cultural days, hear from our experts, and much more.

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See our Friends of Te Papa events (non-members can still attend these events, but members get a discounted price).

An image of an orange-red table with tea and teapots along with three-tierd plates with small cakes.

Eat Your Art Out

A high tea to delight your eyes and taste buds.

From 28 June, daily sessions at 10:30am, 11:00am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:00pm, and 2:30pm.

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Surrealist art whānau day, 2021. Photo by Jo Moore. Te Papa (174819)

School Holiday Kids’ Activities

Jump into the fun at Te Papa these school holidays with our activities. These whānau-friendly events are for children and teens.

Sat 28 Jun to Sun 13 Jul

Illustration of a desk with colourful swirly images 'growing' off it.

Writers on Mondays series

The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

From Mon 7 July

Two head and shoulders photos of two people looking at the camera.

Writers on Mondays – On the road: Gina Butson and Michelle Rahurahu

The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

Two debut novelists discuss their road-trip stories that explore running away and finding yourself in the world.

Mon 7 Jul 2025, 12.15–1.15pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Two young boys wearng VR headsets and standing in front of three signs advertising an immersive antarctic virtual reality experience anotu Scott's Hut..

Scott’s Discovery Hut VR Experience

Antarctic Heritage Trust and Te Papa invites you to explore Antarctica and visit Scott's Discovery Hut through our latest virtual reality experience.

7 - 13 Jul 2025, Every half hour from 10.00am to 4.00pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

A woman in cold protective clothing and ski goggles on her head is standing in front of an ice cave and smiling at the camera.

Antarctic Heritage Trust lecture

Come along and hear Francesca Eathorne, the Executive Director of Antarctic Heritage Trust share stories from Antarctica.

Thu 10 Jul 2025, 5.30pm to 6.30pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

A child is playing with Lego at a table in the Te Papa marae.

Autism NZ and LEGO whānau fun day

Check out the creativity of LEGO® art by autistic tamariki on display in association with Autism New Zealand. Then join the fun day event for LEGO build activities and the chance to win some great LEGO prizes!

Sat 12 Jul 2025, 10.00am–5.00pm

Sun 13 Jul 2025, 10.00am–2.00pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Two photos of two people looking at the camera in a posed and serious way.

Writers on Mondays – Stories that define us: Michelle Duff and Saraid de Silva

The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

Two writers explore women's lives across generations and cultures in conversation about the stories that shape us.

Mon 14 Jul 2025, 12.15–1.15pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Friends event: Dutch 17c Painting: Johannes Vermeer 1632–75

Only 36 paintings are attributed to Johannes Vermeer, but they are among the most revered in the history of art. Join Oxford University lecturer Alice Foster as we take a closer look at these celebrated works of art.

Sunday 20 July, 4.00–5.00pm

Two headshots of two people with long hair looking at the camera.

Writers on Mondays – Sand and Sugarcane: Nafanua Purcell Kersel and Mikaela Nyman

The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

Two poets discuss climate change, resilience, and political poetry from Pacific and Nordic perspectives in urgent contemporary voices.

Mon 21 Jul 2025, 12.15–1.15pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Head and shoulders photos of four people. One is looking offscreen, three are looking at the camera, one is reading into a microphone from a book.

Writers on Mondays – Making and Mending: Chris Tse, Cadence Chung, Gregory Kan, Jiaqiao Liu, and Nina Mingya Powles

The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

Four innovative poets discuss how their creative pursuits outside poetry shape and reinvent their latest collections with the New Zealand Poet Laureate.

Mon 28 Jul 2025, 12.15–1.15pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

A man is standing three-quarters on in front of a bookshelf, looking at the camera.

Writers on Mondays – Delirious: Damien Wilkins

The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

Acorn Prize winner Damien Wilkins discusses his acclaimed novel about loss, ageing, and second chances with writer Emily Perkins.

Mon 4 Aug 2025, 12.15–1.15pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Two headshots of two women both smiling at the camera.

Writers on Mondays – High Tide: Jennifer Trevelyan and Jenny Pattrick

The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

A seasoned novelist and debut author discuss coastal communities under pressure in their latest works about change and survival.

Mon 11 Aug 2025, 12.15–1.15pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Eight headshots of people all looking at the camera.

Writers on Mondays – Ōrongohau: Best New Zealand Poems 2024

The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

Editor Nick Ascroft introduces a selection of excellent New Zealand poets to read their work in a warm-up for National Poetry Day.

Mon 18 Aug 2025, 12.15–1.15pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Two people sitting in green bushes. the person on the right has a speckled hen pecking at the ground next to them.

Writers on Mondays – Writing off the Map: Anna Jackson and Rachel O'Neill

The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

Two adventurous writers discuss their genre-defying works that blend poetry, essays, music, and queer joy in uncharted literary territory.

Mon 25 Aug 2025, 12.15–1.15pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Three portrait images of three people all looking at the camera.

Writers on Mondays – The Conditions of Rapture: Amy Marguerite, Sophie van Waardenberg, and Emma Barnes

The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

Three poets discuss their extraordinary new collections, whim brim over with feeling and are taut with intellectual curiosity.

Mon 1 Sep 2025, 12.15–1.15pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

A large group of people at a party in a large foyer with a round window at the back.

Te Papa Foundation Gala

Find out about the Annual Gala that Te Papa Foundation hosts at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Sat 6 Sep 2025, 6.30pm to 11.30pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Two head and shoulders photos of two men. One black man with no hair in a tshirt against a cream wall, and one white man with a beard in a cap and glasses against a wall with postcards on it.

Writers on Mondays – The Satire We Deserve: Brannavan Gnanalingam and Duncan Sarkies

The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

Two satirical novelists diagnose life in Aotearoa through hilarious and dangerous fiction that prods our political and social wounds.

Mon 8 Sep 2025, 12.15–1.15pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake