2012 News and media releases

Te Papa celebrates New Zealand rugby

17 December 2012 - The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) welcomed the release today by the Government of the Host Nation Report on Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011), ahead of a new exhibition at Te Papa which celebrates the tournament and rugby.

Game Masters opens

12 December 2012 - Te Papa’s summer blockbuster exhibition, Game Masters, opens this weekend (Saturday 15 December) with an action-packed programme of dance contests, caricatures, and free face-painting.

Gingerbread housing boom

30 November 2012 - Te Papa is building Wellington’s biggest ever gingerbread house.

Māori ancestral remains return from Canada and USA

28 November 2012 - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is please to have four Māori ancestral remains returning from the USA and Canada.

Chairman Mao’s feather cloak (kahu huruhuru)

31 October 2012 - A beautiful kahu huruhuru (Feather Cloak), from the collection of the National Museum of China, will go on show during Te Papa’s touring exhibitions Kura Pounamu: Treasured Stone of Aotearoa New Zealand and Brian Brake: Lens on China and New Zealand.

Two New Zealand games included in Game Masters at Te Papa

9 October 2012 - Two games by New Zealand designers are to be included in the blockbuster new exhibition Game Masters when it opens at Te Papa on 15 December 2012.

Te Papa purchases iconic artworks at the Paris family auction

20 September 2012 - Te Papa is delighted to announce that it has purchased iconic artworks from the Les and Milly Paris Collection for the national collection

Ancestral remains to be returned from Australia

4 October 2012 - In early October, 22 kōiwi tangata (ancestral remains) are to be returned to New Zealand from J.L. Shellshear Museum at The University of Sydney and the Western Australian Museum in Perth.

Uniformity: Cracking the dress code

11 September 2012 - Uniformity: Cracking the dress code, a new Te Papa exhibition opening Thursday 27 September 2012, unlocks the origins and meanings behind uniforms and how they influence what we wear today.

Contemporary New Zealand art heading to Shanghai

31 August 2012 - Te Papa is delighted to announce that it has been invited to contribute a selection of contemporary New Zealand art as part of a major international art exhibition for the reopening of the Shanghai Art Museum, China, in October 2012.

McCahon painting gifted to Te Papa

22 August 2012 - Te Papa is pleased to announce that Colin McCahon's painting Landscape theme and variations: series B (1963) has recently entered the national art collection.

Te Papa’s plan for art takes shape

7 August 2012 - "Art at Te Papa has been a subject of debate for many years, something we are addressing through our strategic plans in both the short and long term" says Michael Houlihan, Chief Executive at Te Papa.

National Book Awards Announced

2 August 2012 - The overall winners of the New Zealand Post Book Awards were announced at a gala ceremony held at the Auckland Museum last night.

Ceramics, glass, and metalwork in new exhibition at Te Papa

12 July 2012 - Te Papa shares the story of modern design through the collection of ceramics, glass and metalwork gifted by Wellingtonian Walter Cook.

Red piano and bronze bulls coming to Wellington

27 July 2012 - After a successful season at the Venice Biennale, in Paris and Christchurch, Michael Parekowhai’s On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer will make its final stop at the national museum, Te Papa.

Te Papa strengthens its commitment to art

31 May 2012 - Te Papa, in partnership with the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, has appointed the Gallery's Senior Curator, Mary Kisler, to lead the Museum's art team initially for the next six months.

A tribute to the art of Māori cloak weaving

21 May 2012 - Latest free exhibition to open at Te Papa, Kahu Ora | Living Cloaks, celebrates the specialist art form of kākahu (Māori cloak weaving), and weavers, as the maintainers of this precious knowledge.

People of Aotearoa New Zealand are invited to celebrate Matariki at Te Papa

9 May 2012 - Every year in late autumn, the stars of Matariki disappear from our evening sky. Around early June, the reappearance of these stars on the eastern horizon in the early morning sky signifies the Māori New Year.

New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt welcomed into national collection

30 April 2012 - The poignant stories of 140 New Zealanders, whose lives were lost to HIV and AIDS related illnesses, will now be shared with visitors when the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt is welcomed to Te Papa in early May.

Supporting young musicians for New Zealand Music Month

30 April 2012 - Every Sunday during New Zealand Music Month at Te Papa, our nation’s young musicians will have the chance to learn from those in the know, about the ins and outs of the music industry.

Age no barrier to performing at New Zealand Post Kaumātua Kapa Haka

25 June 2014 - Up to 300 performers between the ages of 50 and 98 will take part in the New Zealand Post Kaumātua Kapa Haka at Te Papa this weekend (28 and 29 June 2014).

Anzac commemorations at Te Papa

19 April 2012 - Anzac Day is a time to commemorate all men and women of the Pacific who have given their service and life during war.

Te Papa Honours 40 years of New Zealand/Chinese Diplomacy

17 April 2012 - As the New Zealand and Chinese Governments mark the fortieth anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, the National Museums of New Zealand and China are set to strengthen the bonds of the two cultures as they prepare to exchange exhibitions.

Te Papa launches Save our Services campaign

5 April 2012 - As Wellington City Council asks city ratepayers for their feedback on their long-term council plan, Te Papa is asking its Wellington visitors to speak up and help us save our funding.

Te Papa demonstrates impressive return on Council investment

3 April 2012 - For every dollar Wellington City Council invests in Te Papa, it gets $41 back in contributions to the capital’s GDP, supporting the local tourist economy and strengthening communities in Wellington.

The journey of tino rangatiratanga heads to Mexico

30 March 2012 - Following a successful season on display in Paris, Te Papa is proud to announce the opening of the hugely successful E Tū Ake: Standing Strong at the Museo Nacional de las Culturas in Mexico City on March 31 under the title of Orgullo Māori: E Tu Ake.