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Exhibitions Ngā whakaaturanga

Celebrate Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique natural environment. See Gallipoli through the eyes and words of eight ordinary New Zealanders. Hear extraordinary stories from young refugees.

Thursday 8 June 2023

  • Inside the nature exhibition

    Te Taiao | Nature

    You’re the explorer in our Te Taiao | Nature exhibition zone. Celebrate Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique natural environment – and get ready for our future as kaitiaki.

    On now
    Permanent exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • A man stands looking at a red wall featuring paintings hung in the salon style

    Toi Art

    Discover our world of art, featuring new, exciting commissions alongside the national art collection.

    On now
    Long-term and temporary exhibitions

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Entrance to Gallipoli

    Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War

    This ground-breaking exhibition tells the story of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I through the eyes and words of eight ordinary New Zealanders who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances.

    On now
    18 Apr 2015 – 25 Apr 2025

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Illustration of two crustaceans on a sea-like background

    Clever Crustaceans

    Discover crustaceans’ smart survival tricks in a mini exhibition with real specimens and hands-on interactives. Created in collaboration with NIWA Taihoro Nukurangi.

    Closed
    22 May – 21 Aug 2023

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • A large-scale, woven installation that is suspended from above and spans a double-height gallery space with a wooden floor and white walls. Woven, grey and reflective tie-downs create shadows and reflections on the walls and floor.

    Mataaho Collective: Te Puni Aroaro

    Experience the ground-breaking artworks of Mataaho Collective – four wāhine Māori artists who have worked together for the last decade.

    On now
    18 Dec 2022 – late 2023

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Several people standing an looking at lighting and parts of a wall in an archway inside a building

    Mānawatia a Matariki | Celebrate our New Year

    Celebrate our national holiday! Visit Te Papa’s walk-through experience and discover why Matariki is unique.

    Closed
    2 Jun – 30 Jul 2023

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • ""Multiple ceramic pieces hang by string, some are long and thin and dyed an orange colour; others are a variety of shapes and colours – white, dark blue, green, brown, shorter, squatter, and some have holes in them

    Kate Newby: SHE’S TALKING TO THE WALL

    Nearly 1,000 wind chimes hang in front of you. Aotearoa New Zealand artist Kate Newby made this expansive artwork over 10 years. Through clay and glass, she explores how natural materials transform when shaped and fired.

    On now
    9 Dec 2022 – mid 2024

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • ""

    Landscape and Desire

    This exhibition explores the different ways that artists in Aotearoa have expressed their relationship to the land – to the places we live in.

    On now
    8 Oct 2022 – mid 2024

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • A platform sits on gold-coloured hexagonal feet. On the platform rests an iris-coloured Japanese umbrella, a camera lens and an iris flower in seperate glass jars. In the background a row of large purple incense sticks against the wall.

    Dane Mitchell: Iris, Iris, Iris

    Dane Mitchell’s Iris, Iris, Iris merges the visible world with the invisible, using the many meanings of the word ‘iris’ to explore the senses of smell and sight.

    Closed
    9 Dec 2022 – 27 Aug 2023

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • A selection of portraits lined up on a red wall

    Encounters

    These portraits represent mana – power and prestige. Some trumpet the status of European royalty, Māori leaders, or prosperous colonial settlers in New Zealand. Others advertise the skills of the artist. All carry with them stories from the past into the present.

    On now
    Long-term exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Closeup on a woman's face who has 50s glasses on, a fur hat, and a fur-trimmed coat. There are people behind her.osely.

    Ans Westra 1936–2023

    This exhibition celebrates the life and work of Ans Westra, one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most renowned photographers.

    Closed
    18 Mar – 17 Sep 2023

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • A man hugs a woman from behind in a field. She holds a bunch of flowers. Behind them a woman stands in isolation. Further back, there’s a stone house and hills

    Through Shaded Glass

    This exhibition draws on a major new publication from Te Papa Press and curator Lissa Mitchell. It presents a selection of portraits made by women photographers, and studio operators and employees, between 1860 and 1960.

    On now
    7 Jun – Oct 2023

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • A father and daughter hold hand on an ornately carved wharenui (large meeting house)

    Te Marae

    An authentic and inclusive marae (communal meeting place) for the 21st century.

    On now
    Permanent exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • General view of an exhibition space with a large projection on the wall, a waka (Māori canoe) in the foreground, and further exhibits in the background

    Mana Whenua

    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

  • ""

    Manu Rere Moana

    The navigation of the Pacific by waka hourua | double-hulled sailing waka is one of the great achievements of human technology. This exhibition celebrates the mātauranga of celestial navigation that enabled these extraordinary voyages.

    On now
    Permanent exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • A group of Māori men lift a waka onto the shore

    He Kaupapa Waka

    E kau ki te tai e, e kau ki te tai e! Celebrate the thriving waka community.

    On now
    12 Nov 2022 – 29 Sep 2024

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Display case showing a taxidermy seagull suspended from its roof alongside a number of carved pou, wooden poles

    Moriori – People of Peace

    Learn about the Moriori people who inhabit Rēkohu | the Chatham Islands.

    On now
    Long-term exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Palm tree

    Tangata o le Moana: The story of Pacific people in New Zealand

    Celebrate the story of Pacific people, past and present, in all areas of life.

    On now
    Long-term exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Visitors explore the Passports exhibition

    Passports

    Remarkable stories of people who migrated to New Zealand over the last 200 years.

    On now
    Long-term exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Signs of a Nation, 2015. Photograph by Norm Heke. Te Papa

    Treaty of Waitangi: Signs of a Nation

    Discover how the Treaty has shaped relationships between the peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand.

    On now
    Permanent exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • The Mixing Room, 2015. Photograph by Michael Hall. Te Papa

    The Mixing Room: Stories from young refugees in New Zealand

    Young refugees invite you to hear their extraordinary stories.

    On now
    Long-term exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Multiple glass-fronted cases against a wall display an array of items, from birds and sheep, to a bottle of wine and a blender

    Blood Earth Fire

    Explore New Zealand’s dramatic transition from untouched paradise to cultivated land.

    On now
    Long-term exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • The colossal squid on display with children looking into the tank

    The Colossal Squid

    Meet the only colossal squid on display in the world.

    On now
    Permanent exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Close up of a motorbike in the museum

    Britten Bike

    See the record-breaking Britten V1000 motorbike, designed and built by Kiwi genius John Britten.

    On now
    Long-term display

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Skeleton of a horse in a glass box

    Phar Lap

    Phar Lap was a legendary racehorse and an adored animal hero for a generation of people in New Zealand. You can pay your respects to his bones here, in the country he was born.

    On now
    Long-term display

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • A man and two children standing on a suspension bridge look into the bush

    Bush City

    Step outside into a living, growing exhibition. Explore native bush and a volcanic landscape.

    On now
    Open daily until 5pm

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Quake Braker exhibition

    Quake Braker

    Go underground to see the amazing Kiwi innovation that ‘puts the brakes on’ in an earthquake.

    On now
    Permanent exhibition

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga