2014 News and media releases

Air New Zealand unveils Te Papa exhibition celebrating 75 years of flying

18 December 2014 - Air New Zealand will kick off its 75th anniversary celebrations with the launch of a special exhibition at the country’s national museum Te Papa in Wellington tonight.

West Auckland gallery to conclude Te Papa’s touring exhibition Black Rainbow

8 December 2014 - Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Art Gallery in West Auckland will conclude Te Papa’s touring exhibition Black Rainbow by two of New Zealand’s leading artists.

Come take a selfie with The Hobbit’s Azog the Defiler

2 December 2014 - The biggest, baddest orc of all is coming to Te Papa! Azog™ the Defiler will be on display at the national museum from tomorrow and visitors are invited to come snap a selfie with the huge and pale Gundabad Orc.

Largest repatriation of ancestral remains in New Zealand’s history announced

1 December 2014 - The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the American Museum of Natural History are pleased to announce the return of 107 Māori and Moriori ancestral remains to New Zealand.

Art from Te Papa’s collection to feature in Waikato Museum exhibition

20 November 2014 - Art from Te Papa’s collection by two of New Zealand’s greatest artists goes on display at Waikato Museum on Saturday.

Tukutuku panels ready to go to the United Nations in New York

3 November 2014 - More than forty tukutuku panels will be shipped to New York this month as they start their journey from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa to the United Nations Headquarters where they will be permanently installed.

Te Papa appoints new Chief Executive

10 November 2014 - The Board and Chairman of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa are pleased to announce the appointment of Rick Ellis as the new Chief Executive for the museum.

Annual report shows Te Papa in sound shape for busy 2015

28 November 2014 - Te Papa’s annual report, tabled in Parliament, shows the national museum is in sound shape heading into a busy 2015, Te Papa’s Board Chair Evan Williams says.

Te Papa to showcase unique story of Shrek the sheep

30 October 2014 - The children of Central Otago’s Tarras School will be in Wellington tomorrow to see their favourite Southern rogue, Shrek the sheep, make his debut at the National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

A head and shoulders photo of a man in a suit smiling at the camera.

Te Papa Pays Tribute to a Pioneering Art Scholar and Valued Mentor

13 October 2014 – It is with great sadness that Te Papa acknowledges the death of Professor Jonathan Mane-Wheoki (CNZM), the national museum’s Head of Arts & Visual Culture.

Te Papa reinforces its commitment to science

27 June 2014 - The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is delighted by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage’s appointment of Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister, to its Board.

Tyrannosaurs surprise and delight in Te Papa’s newest exhibition

23 September 2014 - Cutting edge technology has been combined with the latest research for Tyrannosaurs - Meet the Family; opening Saturday 27 September 2014 at Te Papa.

Date set for scientists to examine colossal squid

4 September 2014 - Scientists studying invertebrates will have a rare chance to examine a colossal squid, at Te Papa on Tuesday 16 September 2014.

Te Papa Press congratulates author Jill Trevelyan on top book award

27 August 2014 - Peter McLeavey: The Life and Times of a New Zealand Art Dealer, by Jill Trevelyan, last night won Book of the Year as well as the top award for non-fiction, in the 2014 New Zealand Post Book Awards.

Whiti Te Rā! The Story of Ngāti Toa Rangatira opens at Te Papa

9 June 2014 - A dramatic dawn ceremony at Te Papa will open the exhibition Whiti Te Rā! The Story of Ngāti Toa Rangatira on 14 June 2014, sharing the iwi’s stories and its vision for the future on the national stage.

Te Papa’s leading art scholar receives royal recognition

22 August 2014 - Te Papa wholeheartedly congratulates Professor Jonathan Mane-Wheoki, Head of Arts & Visual Culture at New Zealand’s national museum, who received the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) during an investiture ceremony at Government House in Auckland this week.

Extraordinary life story from Te Papa Press nominated for top award

25 July 2014 - Peter McLeavey: The Life and Times of a New Zealand Art Dealer from New Zealand’s unique museum publisher, Te Papa Press, has been nominated in the non-fiction category of the 2014 New Zealand Post Book Awards.

Te Papa to display extraordinary New Zealand artworks destined for the United Nations

1 July 2014 - Visitors to Te Papa will have a rare opportunity to experience a unique exhibition of tukutuku panels reflecting New Zealand stories, values and traditions, before they are installed at the United Nations’ Headquarters in New York.

New Zealand Birds Online: A year on, our favourite bird revealed?

6 June 2014 - New Zealand Birds Online has celebrated its first anniversary! In the twelve months since the site went live, 264,000 have visited to learn more about Aotearoa’s 461 bird species, and to identify those they’ve spotted frolicking in our gardens, beaches, mountains and forests.

Free events for the whole whānau at Matariki Wellington 2014!

5 June 2014 - For the first time, Wellington's galleries and museums work together to bring you nearly 100 events to celebrate Matariki!

Te Papa and Human Rights Commission partner to promote human rights

5 June 2014 - Te Papa and New Zealand’s Human Rights Commission will work together to promote human dignity and rights awareness.

Free Access to 30,000 high-resolution images from Te Papa’s digital collections

3 June 2014 - Te Papa has made 30,000 high quality, high resolution images available for free download from its Collections Online website, collections.tepapa.govt.nz,as part of its commitment to providing open access licensing to images of the national collections.

Queen’s Birthday honour for Te Papa’s leading art scholar

3 June 2014 - Te Papa congratulates Professor Jonathan Mane-Wheoki, Head of Arts & Visual Culture at New Zealand’s national museum, on his appointment as Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM).

Te Papa Chief Executive to become Special Adviser on Military Heritage

1 May 2014 - The Ministry for Culture and Heritage is very pleased to announce that Michael Houlihan has been appointed to the position of Special Adviser on Military Heritage, for the next twelve months.

Te Papa and Auckland Museum work together to return Te Pahi Medal to New Zealand

16 April 2014 - The Te Pahi silver medal will return to New Zealand after a successful joint bid by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira overnight.

Extraordinary exhibitions showcase China at Te Papa

18 March 2014 - Centuries-old imperial treasures rarely seen outside of China, and a glimpse into the life of a unique modern artist with an uncompromising vision, are showcased in two extraordinary exhibitions opening only at Te Papa.

Te Papa ceremony to mark success of Tainui exhibition

26 February 2014 - Representatives from Tainui, one of New Zealand’s largest tribal groupings, will gather at Te Papa to celebrate the success of their exhibition Tai timu, tai pari, Tainui: Journey of a people, during a special closing ceremony this Sunday (2 March 2014).

The Treaty Debates Series 2014: Water is our business

28 Jan 2014 - Te Papa presents the 2014 Treaty Debates Series: Water is our business.