Events

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

Exhibitions

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.

Remembering Dawn Raids – 50 years on

‘Ua Tafa Mai Ata, The Darkness has moved away, the light is starting to come in.

Pacific voices reflect on 50 years since the Dawn Raids. 

Panel talk: The impact and legacy of the Dawn Raids

This talk will reflect on a dark time in Aotearoa New Zealand’s history, what has happened in the 50 years since the Dawn Raids, and how this has shaped the design of a new mural, with Oscar Kightley MNZM, Tigilau Ness, Nina Nawalowalo ONZM, Mere Montgomery, and Liana Leiataua.

‘Ahu: Ngā wairua o Hina – Tapa workshops in Tahiti

After acquiring a book of tapa samplers collected by Alexander Shaw that represents tapa-making practices from various islands in the Pacific, tapa makers, Te Papa curators, and our Senior Librarian, gathered together in Tahiti for a wānanga (workshop) to explore and respond to the samplers in the book.

Art

Explore the work of artists such as Robin White, Tiffany Singh, Matt Pine, Colin McCahon, Tony Fomison, and Rita Angus through videos, podcasts, and in-depth articles. Find out about favourite art works from our curators, or see what is in our collections.

Leslie Adkin

Leslie Adkin was a farmer and noted amateur geologist and ethnologist. Photography was also a passion of his, and he documented every aspect of his life, from his family to his scientific interests, from the 1910s until the 1950s. Explore some of the Leslie Adkin collection.

Museum collecting: Acknowledging our Colonial past

Our national museum’s history began in 1865, and early documentation wasn't as thorough or careful as it is today. Curator Mātauranga Māori Amber Aranui takes us back to this creatively documented time and what it means for tracking our collection items.

Watch: Kōrero – Mana Wāhine, Mana Taonga

Watch the kōrero from wāhine Māori as they discuss the importance of wāhine representation in Māori arts, and what has shifted since the 1984 international exhibition, Te Maori. 

Botany

Te Papa’s botanical collections and research encompass marine algae (seaweeds), lichens, mosses, liverworts, lycophytes, ferns, and seed plants.

Experiment to plug Te Papa collections into ChatGPT

Collections Data Manager Gareth Watkins describes his experiments with ways Generative AI can tell richer stories and enable deeper connections to our collection database.

Te whakaaturanga o Te Maori – Toi Māori ki te ao

From 1984 to 1986, the exhibition Te Maori was a pivotal moment in Māori cultural revival showcasing traditional artwork on the international stage. It is widely acclaimed as an exhibition that changed the way that museums and art galleries interpreted and managed taonga Māori.