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
Toroa te kohinga taonga whakairo rongomaiwhiti a Te Papa e whakaatu ai te pupuketanga taketake, ōna kōrero tuku iho, ōna pae auaha hou mō te toi whakairo, me te mana tangata.
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Experience 147 whakairo spanning seven centuries – many never exhibited before. He Toi Whakairo showcases creativity, ancestral narratives, and contemporary innovation. Every carving is an expression of artistic excellence and mana.
29 August 2026 – August 2031
Mana Whenua, Level 4
Free, with museum entry
90 minutes
Wheelchair accessible
He toi whakairo, he mana tangata.
Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity.
– Māori leader Piri Sciascia (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāi Tahu)
This major long-term exhibition celebrates the dynamic artform of whakairo. He Toi Whakairo is one of the most comprehensive displays of carving since Te Maori – the groundbreaking 1984–86 exhibition that toured the United States and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Protected within the walls of a pā tūwatawata, taonga tell the story of this living, ever-changing artform. Trace whakairo’s artistic journey from its Pacific origins over 700 years ago to contemporary carvers.
Follow the tohu trail to learn more about specific designs and patterns. Watch a video of contemporary leading carver Sam Hauwaho at work. Discover the teachings of different Tohunga Whakairoand how they inspired others to pick up the chisel. See innovative works by wāhine carvers that expand the idea of carving as a male-only artform.
From the smallest carved matau to the grandest wharenui, experience the mauri of whakairo.
Te Papa has approximately 68 tokotoko in the collection representing all time periods. In 2021, Mātauranga Māori Curator Isaac Te Awa acquired two more. However, these ones are slightly different from the more common style.
These Moriori house carvings are extremely precious in that they are the only ones that survive. Riria uncovers some of their story.
The following is an abridged version of a paper by Megan Tamati-Quennell, Curator Modern & Contemporary Māori & Indigenous Art, about Michael Parekōwhai’s He Kōrero Pūrakau mo Te Awanui o Te Motu: Story of a New Zealand river in 2018.
Ruatepupuke II was built in Tokomaru Bay in 1880 and is an early example of East Coast carving that is unusual for its fully carved front façade and its shallow relief. Most of Ruatepupuke II has been at the Field Museum since they purchased it from the foremost German dealer, J.F.G Umlauff of Hamburg, in 1905.
After a 6 month journey from Paris, there's an emotional homecoming for this precious carved taonga (treasure). A new chapter is beginning for the magnificent waka whakairo.
While Puawai Cairns was researching Māori Gallipoli stories, she was intrigued by some special carvings the Māori Contingent made in the clay walls of the Big Sap.
Te Papa is home to many precious carved taonga (treasures), including the three-dimensional faces of the Tā Moko panel carved by Ngāti Tarāwhai master carver Tene Waitere, a master carver from Lake Rotoiti. Then Curator Arapata Hakiwai talks with James Schuster, the great-great-grandson of Tene Waitere, about the panel.
Visit three karetao-puoro (instruments that are figures too) created by artist James Webster to give karetao a voice by incorporating taonga puoro into their design. Watch the whānau of karetao in action in Tokotū (Rise Up), the story of Ranginui and Papatūānuku.
On now
Wed 5 Jun – mid 2026
Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga
Mātauranga Māori Curator Dougal Austin reflects on some of his research into hei tiki (greenstone pendants in human form), including looking at how styles of hei tiki appear to ahere to, or are worked away from, original rectangular or wedge-shaped pieces of cut pounamu.
Mana Whenua takes you on a stirring journey that explores and celebrates Māori as tangata whenua (the indigenous people) of Aotearoa New Zealand.
On now
Permanent exhibition
Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga
