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Tuvalu

Tuvalu is made up of six atolls Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, Nukulaelae, and three reef islands, Nanumaga, Niutao, and Niulakita, making up a total land area of 26 square kilometres.

Explore some of the collections in Te Papa, and read about the lives and history of the people of Tuvalu.

Dawn Raids in Aotearoa New Zealand

The Dawn Raids were the Government’s promise to ‘get tough’ on law and order and immigration in the 1970s. Raids took place in the early hours of the morning or late at night when police would enter homes to convict and deport so-called ‘over-stayers’. 

‘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.

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.

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.

Active land: Natural events in Aotearoa New Zealand

Restless whenua, strong people. Rūaumoko, god of earthquakes and volcanoes, lays his challenge – his restless rumblings present us with taonga as well as hazards. A country where colliding and subducting plates cause quakes, volcanoes, tsunami, and landslides.

Cook Islands

There are around 14,800 residents across the Cook Islands, with a significant population living in Aotearoa New Zealand, maintaining strong ties home. Explore Te Papa’s Cook Island collections and stories from the community.

Kiribati

The Republic of Kiribati is an island nation of over 32 atolls in Micronesia, in the central Pacific Ocean, with most of its population of over 119,000 living on the island of Tarawa. Find out about Kiribati in our collections.

Te Marae o Te Papa Tongarewa: Rongomaraeroa

Rongomaraeroa is a unique marae (meeting place) within Aotearoa New Zealand. Like all marae, it is founded on Māori principles of kawa (marae protocol) and tikanga (cultural practices) it was created for our unique museum context as a contemporary marae acknowledging the whakapapa (ancestral history) and the taonga (treasures) of all peoples who call Aotearoa New Zealand home.

Tapa: barkcloth art in the Pacific

Find out about how tapa has been used, read about wānanga (workshops) contemporary makers, and see the tools used to make tapa and the beautiful taonga (treasures) in our collection.

Nancy Adams: Botanist and artist

Nancy Adams (1926–2007) was one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most notable botanists and a talented artist. One of Te Papa’s most prolific botany collectors of all time, she also painted and drew an incredible number of botanical illustrations. She used her artwork to produce important books about Aotearoa New Zealand’s flora, including seaweeds, flowers, trees, and alpine plants.

Kihikihi cicadas and their sounds

Aotearoa New Zealand has 34 species of cicadas. Five of these species are then further divided into several subspecies, to give 42 unique species and subspecies of New Zealand cicada.

Growing up – toys, treasures, and TV

What do children care about? What do they play with? How do they learn? How can museums represent the experiences of young people? Included here are stories exploring what it is like to grow up in Aotearoa New Zealand, and objects showing how childhoods have changed.

Poi

Learn about poi in our collections, explore stories intertwined with this practice, and watch the techniques and performances by kaumātua (respected elders) in te ao Māori.

The Treaty of Waitangi

It is celebrated and argued over. It contains contradictions, and yet it offers clarity. It has a rocky past, but it is providing New Zealanders with new ways forward. It is the Treaty of Waitangi – this nation’s founding agreement.

Taonga Māori

Biculturalism. Decolonisation. Mātauranga Māori. Dive into te ao Māori, explore Matariki, brush up on your reo Māori, and learn how the kiwi lost its wings.

Matariki: The Māori New Year

Learn all about Matariki and see our events. Matariki is a time to gather with family and friends to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future.

Crustaceans of Aotearoa New Zealand and the South Pacific

Crustacea includes lobsters, crabs, shrimps, prawns, hoppers, wood lice, water fleas, and several other groups. Most crustaceans live in the sea but some are found in freshwater or on land. The one thing they all need to survive is water, or at least a moist habitat.

Fossils and dinosaurs

Te Papa’s collections and research on dinosaur bones, animals, and plant fossils from past geological ages, and the people involved in the discovery of their remains.

Colossal squid

All you’d want to know about the colossal squid – from its anatomy, to how it was found.

Spiders and insects

Insects, arachnids, myriapods, bugs, creepy-crawlies, moths, butterflies and their allies.

Forget-me-nots (Myosotis)

The forget-me-nots (Myosotis, Boraginaceae) are often small rosette herbs. There are over 45 native species of Myosotis in Aotearoa New Zealand – find out more about these species and their habitats, botanical art, and Te Papa’s research in this area.

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.

Photographer: Ans Westra

Dutch-born New Zealand photographer Ans Westra is known for her black-and-white documentary photography of the people of Aotearoa New Zealand, including protests and marches, Māori communities, street photography, and industrial scenes.

Faultlines: Earthquakes in Aotearoa New Zealand

Around 20,000 shakes are measured every year in Aotearoa New Zealand – about 55 a day – our whenua (land) never stops shaking. Plates collide. Pressure builds. The land ruptures. How do we cope with living on such shaky ground?

Pacific

Hear about tatau (Sāmoan tattooing), weaving in Tokelau, browse our Pacific collections online, and read blogs.

Orchids in Aotearoa New Zealand

There are over 100 species of orchids in Aotearoa New Zealand and come in a variety of shapes, colours, and dimensions. They thrive in diverse habitats across the country. Take a look at Te Papa's research and work with orchids as well as highlights from our collections.

The Current

Idea: To control possums, we should consider using gene editing instead of 1080 poison or trapping.

How do you feel about this idea?

Birds of Aotearoa New Zealand

Birds are an important part of New Zealand's nationhood. We are the only nation where the people are often colloquially known by a bird name – ‘Kiwi’.

New Zealand Mosquito Census

We need your help tracking New Zealand’s native and introduced mosquito species so we can get a better understanding of which species live where and how they’re spreading. Simply catch it, freeze it, and send it!

Community stories: Taking action for nature

River cleaners, tree planters, possum trappers, and climate crusaders. Explore stories from around Aotearoa New Zealand of communities taking care of their natural environment.

Anzacs of Aotearoa New Zealand

ANZAC refers to the soldiers from Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia who served in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during the First World War. Anzac Day is held annually on April 25 as a national day of remembrance to commemorate those who served and those who died in all international wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

Rēkohu | Chatham Islands

Rēkohu Chatham Islands are 862 kilometres east of Christchurch and are 45 minutes ahead of New Zealand time. The Chatham Rise, a 1,400-kilometre mostly underwater land mass connects them to New Zealand. Lakes and lagoons cover about a quarter of the biggest island.

Botany

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

The deep sea

Colossal squids, fishes, and creatures of the deep. Te Papa holds the largest and most comprehensive collection in the country, and the largest collection of New Zealand fishes anywhere in the world.

Whales, dolphins, and sharks

Researching, caring for, photographing, and displaying the whales, dolphins, and sharks of Aotearoa New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands, an archipelago nation situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, is made up of over 900 islands with rainforests, coastal environments, and coral reefs. The people of the Solomon Islands are primarily Melanesian and the official language is English, however, pidgin English is widely spoken.

Tokelau

Tokelau is in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawai‘i and Aotearoa New Zealand. Find out more about Tokelau through videos, blogs, and an activity book.

Asian Mental Health

Many individuals from Asian diasporas in Aotearoa New Zealand have consistently called for a greater focus on mental health issues. This project responds to this call and aims to highlight various discussions, understandings, and perspectives on mental health of Asian communities in Aotearoa.

Watch: Ngā Taonga Tuku Iho

Ngā Taonga Tuku Iho is a five-part series looking at the relationships we have as Māori with our taonga today, and with the practice of archiving.

Studio portrait photography in Aotearoa New Zealand

Studio portraits taken in a professional photographer’s studio – often making use of backdrops or props – were for formal, posed portraits, as well as informal, candid photographs of people, and sometimes their pets.

Chinese Languages in Aotearoa

Chinese Languages in Aotearoa is an ongoing project using language to highlight complex issues of cultural identity within various Chinese New Zealand communities. It begins with a series of videos, of people sharing stories of their connection to their heritage Chinese languages, speaking in Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, and Hakka.

Sport in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific

Professional and community-level sport has a long history in Aotearoa New Zealand from team sports to individual achievements. Read about rugby, running, racing, and rowing, along with political crossovers like the 81 tour, international firsts like the Britten Bike, Olympic champions like Peter Snell, and life before the All Blacks.

Sāmoa

Our collections represent stories of Sāmoa and its people. Explore some of our Sāmoan stories about our collections from Apia to Auckland, tatau to travelling umu boxes, headdresses to hip hop, and more.

Tonga

Tonga, officially known as the Kingdom of Tonga, and also known as ‘The Friendly Islands’, is a group of islands in the South Pacific. It is currently the only Pacific country with a constitutional monarchy. Read stories and view our collections in connection to Tonga and the people of Tonga.

Fiji

Fiji – officially the Republic of Fiji – comprises over 800 islands and the official language is English, though most speak Bauan or Hindustani. Find out more about Fiji through our collections, videos, blogs, and a Fijian language activity book.

Niue

Discover some of our Niuean stories about our communities and collections from kahoa hihi to katoua, tiputa to titi, the coral atoll to coconut, and more.

Tatau: Sāmoan tattoo

Explore the history of Sāmoan tatau, watch interviews with people talking about what their tatau means to them, and discover objects and photographs within our collections.

Rotuma

Read about our collections and connections to the island of Rotuma, part of the Rotuma Group, which includes several smaller islands in the South Pacific Ocean, around 650 kilometres north of Fiji.

Voyage and discovery in the Pacific

The history of the discovery of Aotearoa New Zealand goes back a millennium and contains the stories of many fine explorers, from Kupe to Cook. Here, explore Pacific exploration and European colonisation through our taonga, kōrero, and events.

LGBTQI+ histories of Aotearoa New Zealand

Explore queer objects, artworks, and stories in Te Papa’s collections and discover more about the rich histories of Aotearoa New Zealand’s LGBTQI+ communities and icons – including the AIDS Quilt, Carmen Rupe, and Xena: Warrior Princess.

Making Histories: Communities and Covid-19

Making Histories is a Te Papa project which aims to support visitors and communities around New Zealand to reflect on and share their experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fashioning ourselves: clothing, identity and culture

From woollens to workwear, pōtae (hats) to Panamas, feathers to fur, and khakis to korowai (cloaks). Explore stories that highlight the influences, industry, and imagination of fashion in New Zealand through our collections, exhibitions and research.

Ferns in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific

Ferns are so prominent in Aotearoa New Zealand, we even wear them on our sporting uniforms. From botany research to citizen science, pressed-fern books of the 1800s to collecting All Blacks and tourism memorabilia, our collectors and curators spend a lot of time with ferns.

Antiracism and activism

Read about protest collecting, decolonisation, and antiracism from our tohunga (experts), and across the web.

New Zealanders and the British suffrage movement

Find out how New Zealand citizens contributed to the suffrage movement in Britain.

The story of the Te Pahi medal

This medal is the first official state gift given to a Māori chief by a foreign leader. Yet this national treasure vanished from Aotearoa New Zealand for over 200 years.

Science and nature

Botany, fishes, birds, insects, fossils, molluscs – read about Te Papa's scientific research and stories from leading natural history experts.

History

Read about trans histories, the Moon Landing, colonisation and impact, Edmund Hilary, tiny activism, Scots in New Zealand, and so much more.

Ours: A podcast of twenty Te Papa objects

From Jacinda Ardern’s encounter with the sled of her Antarctic hero, to a nine-year-old boy obsessed with the colossal squid, this new podcast series brings New Zealanders face to face with their favourite objects from Te Papa.

Crown Lynn pottery: A Kiwi icon

A series of articles looking at the social and cultural impact of a one-time ‘essential industry’ and familiar presence in almost all New Zealand homes.

Learn online with FutureLearn and Te Papa

Are you interested in peeking inside Te Papa to take a journey into the wonders, taonga, and events that make up Aotearoa New Zealand’s history?

Te Papa at home

Jigsaw puzzles, activity books, hundreds of hours of videos covering Aotearoa New Zealand’s vast history, quizzes, hubs on specialist topics, whānau challenges, and inspiration points to keep you active at home.

Online jigsaw puzzles using our collections

Take a moment or two to relax with online jigsaw puzzles using taonga from our collections. Come back frequently to find new ones!

Dive into the collections

Explore 800,000 artworks, taonga, photographs, collection objects, and botanical and zoological specimens from Te Papa’s collections. Learn about different cultures – or your own! – or find inspiration for your own artworks.