2015 News and media releases

Magic of DreamWorks Animation lands at Te Papa

9 December 2015 - Visitors to Te Papa can lose themselves in the extraordinary worlds of Po the Panda, Shrek the Ogre and Alex the Lion, when DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition opens on Saturday.

Te Papa celebrates 150 years of New Zealand’s national museum

7 December 2015 - Te Papa is celebrating 150 years since the founding of the Colonial Museum in 1865, which evolved into today’s Te Papa.

From ancient taonga to virtual reality: iwi innovation in heritage preservation

20 November 2015 - Iwi from around the country have gathered in Whakatane to share behind-the-scenes insights from iwi heritage projects, from “bricks and mortar” cultural centres, to digital repositories and travelling exhibitions.

Te Papa bids farewell to Claire Murdoch

19 November 2015 - Te Papa is to bid farewell to Claire Murdoch, who has headed the museum's multi-award-winning Te Papa Press since 2003.

Te Papa celebrates a record-breaking year

20 November 2015 - Te Papa has had one of its most successful years since opening, as detailed in the museum’s 2014/15 Annual Report, tabled in Parliament yesterday.

Photography focus in Te Papa’s new art season

5 November 2015 - The largest photography exhibition Te Papa has ever held will open tomorrow, as part of the new season of Ngā Toi | Arts Te Papa.

Te Papa brings colonial masterpiece home to New Zealand

26 October 2015 - A rare and historically significant painting set in Taranaki during New Zealand’s land wars will go on display to the public in its new home at Te Papa next week.

Te Papa to change opening hours in response to visitor trends

27 October 2015 - Te Papa to change opening hours in response to visitor trends In response to consistently low visitor numbers during its late night time slot, Te Papa will no longer be open late on Thursday nights, effective from Christmas 2015.

Friends of Te Papa purchase Picasso Picador jug

14 October 2015 - The Friends of Te Papa, an independent body which supports the national museum, have purchased a Picasso jug and gifted it to the national collection.

International human rights museum experts meeting at Te Papa

21 September 2015 - International experts from around the globe will gather at Te Papa tomorrow for the 2015 Federation of International Human Rights Museums conference.

Te Papa to acquire Simon Denny ‘Secret Power’ works from Venice Biennale

5 September 2015 - Te Papa is to purchase four art works by contemporary New Zealand artist Simon Denny, which are part of his acclaimed Secret Power exhibition at this year’s Venice Biennale.

Te Papa one of Lonely Planet’s top 500 places on the planet

18 August 2015 - Te Papa is one of nine New Zealand destinations named in Lonely Planet’s top 500 places on the planet.

Behind the scenes magic of DreamWorks Animation to shine at Te Papa this summer

14 August 2015 - Te Papa is proud to announce that it will be the exclusive New Zealand home to its blockbuster summer show - DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition, showcasing over twenty-years of travelling zoo animals, green ogres and flying dragons.

Te Papa’s Air New Zealand exhibition prepares to take flight

July 2015 - Te Papa will say farewell to its hugely popular Air New Zealand 75 Years: Our nation. The world. Connected at the end of the week as it prepares to depart for Auckland, where it will be on show later in the year.

Te Papa celebrates Wellington’s 150th birthday

25 July 2015 - Te Papa threw open the doors of its Tory Street storehouse on Saturday July 25, welcoming 2,324 lucky visitors. Thousands more visited Te Papa on the waterfront, where special tours took people to the back of house areas, normally closed to the public.

Century old WWI waiata stars of kapa kaka festival

1 July 2015 - Waiata from World War One will be featured in performances at the New Zealand Post Kaumātua Kapa Haka at Te Papa next weekend (4 and 5 July 2015).

Hip hop connecting generations at Te Papa this Matariki

18 June 2015 - Te Papa’s kicking off the Māori New Year with a weekend dedicated to rangatahi (youth) and home-grown Hip Hop.

Musical Matariki stars set to light up Te Papa

17 June 2015 - A group of sensational Kiwi musicians will be in the spotlight tomorrow night at Te Papa’s Ngā Whetū o Matariki Concert.

Tauranga Art Gallery to showcase illustrations from Te Papa’s Buller’s Birds

12 June 2015 - A Te Papa art exhibition showcasing the illustrations from New Zealand’s most famous book on native birds, opens at the Tauranga Art Gallery tomorrow. The six week exhibition Buller’s Birds:The art of Keulemans and Buchanan displays illustrations used in Walter Buller’s iconic 1873 book, A History of New Zealand Birds and its smaller spin-off, Manual of the Birds of New Zealand.

Te Papa Press to continue publishing

11 June 2015 - Following its review of the role of Te Papa Press, Te Papa has committed to continue publishing books during the museum’s redevelopment, Chief Executive Rick Ellis announced today.

Exhibit uncovers the contraceptive collection of Dame Margaret Sparrow

29 May 2015 - Te Papa has opened a new exhibit to showcase the recently acquired collection of Dame Margaret Sparrow – one of New Zealand’s pioneering specialists and advocates on contraception and sexual health.

Remains of mummified Tainui child to return home after 100 years

May 2015 - More than 100 hundred years after being taken from its burial cave, the mummified remains of a high ranking child belonging to the Tainui iwi is returning home from Austria, Te Papa announced today.

Immersive digital experience complements Gallipoli exhibition

11 May 2015 - Te Papa has launched a new digital experience to complement the ground-breaking national exhibition Gallipoli: The scale of our war at www.gallipoli.tepapa.govt.nz

Thanks for the happy memories, Air New Zealand

22 April 2015 - A visit to the Air New Zealand exhibition at Te Papa has brought back happy memories of the early days of flying in New Zealand for a 93-year old Linden resident.

Te Papa unpacks new art treasures at Whangarei Art Museum

17 April 2015 - More treasures from the national art collection will be unveiled at the Whangarei Art Museum over the coming year in the second season of Unpacked - Treasures from Te Papa.

Te Papa seeks musical Matariki stars

17 April 2015 - Put down your air guitar and pick up the real thing. Te Papa launches a nationwide search for four sensational musicians today as part of its 2015 Matariki celebrations.

Te Papa and Weta Workshop open ground-breaking Gallipoli exhibition

April 2015 - A ground-breaking national exhibition opens at Te Papa on 18 April, to mark the centenary of the First World War.

The Art of Love: Frenchman's surprise proposal at Te Papa

10 April 2015 - Paris might be the city of love, but Te Papa was the choice of young Frenchman Mickael Clement who popped the question yesterday amongst colourful Cook Island wedding quilts.

Bringing the faces of Māori ancestors to light at Te Papa

1 April 2015 - Up close and personal encounters between Ngāti Toa and Europeans in the mid-1800s will come to light in Te Papa’s exhibition of historic tūpuna portraits, opening this Easter.

Te Papa’s new art season opens the glory box

31 March 2015 - Te Papa opens a glory box of treasures this Easter as it unveils its fourth season of Ngā Toi | Arts Te Papa with eight new shows showcasing the national art collection.

Second Building Gallipoli video introduces New Zealanders featured in upcoming exhibition

30 March 2015 - The second Building Gallipoli video released this evening introduces the ordinary New Zealanders in extraordinary circumstances at Gallipoli who are being brought to life in Te Papa’s new exhibition.

Te Papa Press celebrates a string of successes

Te Papa Press’s first non-fiction book for children, 100 Amazing Tales from Aotearoa, has won the prestigious New Zealand Post Children’s Book Award for Best Non-Fiction Book.

Te Papa brings Kupe exhibition to Hawkes Bay

27 March 2015 - A Te Papa touring exhibition celebrating a great Polynesian voyager's connections with New Zealand opens at the Hastings City Art Gallery tomorrow.

First ever book sale at Te Papa Press

27 Feb 2015 - Te Papa Press, Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique museum publisher, is holding its first ever book sale from Sunday 1 March with up to 70 per cent off its award-winning titles.

Te Papa brings Brian Brake photographs to Hastings

27 Feb 2015 - A Te Papa touring exhibition exploring the works of celebrated New Zealand photographer Brian Brake opens at the Hastings City Art Gallery tomorrow.

‘Remember’ exhibit unveiled for fourth anniversary of Christchurch earthquake

February 2015 - Te Papa has unveiled Remember, a temporary exhibit to mark the fourth anniversary of the Canterbury earthquakes.

ROARsome turnout for Te Papa’s Tyrannosaurs

1 February 2015 - Te Papa is saying goodbye to its hugely popular Tyrannosaurs exhibition, which has lured more than 120,000 visitors over its five month lifespan.

Te Papa marks 175th anniversary of signing of Treaty of Waitangi

28 January 2015 - Te Papa’s programme to mark the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi starts tomorrow evening with our annual treaty debate.

New exhibition showcases Te Papa’s recent scientific discoveries

January 2015 - The national museum has opened a new exhibition DeCLASSIFIED! Nature’s secrets exposed at Te Papa to showcase recent discoveries by its scientists.