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.

“Claire has resigned to pursue other opportunities, and we wish her all the best for the next chapter,” says Chief Executive Rick Ellis.

“Under Claire’s direction, Te Papa Press has produced an array of award-winning books across a wide range of disciplines.”

“She leaves a legacy of high-quality publishing which has contributed enormously to the cultural life of New Zealand.”

With Claire Murdoch at the helm, Te Papa Press books have won numerous national awards, including the Montana Medal for Non-Fiction three times, and in 2014 the New Zealand Post Book of the Year for Peter McLeavey: The Life and Times of a New Zealand Art Dealer.

In this period, the Press has produced over 100 new titles across a wide range of disciplines, including art, natural history, Pacific, Maori, popular culture, and books for children. Highlights include Eagle’s Complete Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand, Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life, Whatu Kakahu: Maori Cloaks, New Zealand Film, New Zealand Fashion Design, Tatau, and 100 Amazing Tales of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Claire also established and led the museum’s digital content production team, producing digital products, media and experiences for exhibitions and online platforms, including Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War, the Te Papa Channel, Arts Te Papa online, and the Te Papa website.

Claire Murdoch says the time is right to explore other opportunities. “This is an exciting time for Te Papa and Te Papa Press, and for me as I look to new horizons.

“I am hugely proud to have worked with Te Papa's peerless collections, and with dedicated curators and researchers, photographers and artists, communities and iwi.

“Publishing and content creation are always creative collaborations, and it has been my privilege to work with so many talented people along the way.”

Ms Murdoch also wanted to thank the wider publishing community, and her staff.

“Above all, my thanks go to the writers who have trusted Te Papa Press with their works: it has been an honour to work with you in this role.”

Claire Murdoch will finish at Te Papa in December. The museum will be advertising for a Managing Editor to lead Te Papa Press, with applications closing in the New Year.

Media contact

Kate Camp, Communications Manager
029 601 0180