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Museum of New Zealand

Te Papa Tongarewa

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History

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

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’. 

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.

Coronation commemoratives

The sixth of May 2023 sees the coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. As well as watching the ceremony on TV, some New Zealanders may choose to buy or make a special souvenir to mark the occasion.

Following the Queen: Brian Brake on tour with Queen Elizabeth II

One of the Te Papa collection connections with the late Queen Elizabeth II is via the photographs of Brian Brake.

Queen Elizabeth II – Her coronation and first visit to New Zealand in 1953

New Zealanders celebrated two royal events in 1953. In the middle of the year, their new monarch Elizabeth II was crowned; six months later she came to Aotearoa New Zealand in person.

Leslie Adkin on Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation and visit to New Zealand 1953–54

View excerpts from Leslie Adkins’ diaries – and photographs – documenting Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation celebrations in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the royal tour of 1953–54.

Quiz: How well do you know protest in Aotearoa?

New Zealand has had its fair share of major protest issues, and over the decades New Zealanders have become adept at mobilising around causes – from protests about wars, to the rights of women and LGBTQI+ people, protecting the environment, and race relations.

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: reflecting on experiences of Covid-19

Curator Asian New Zealand Histories Dr Grace Gassin introduces Making Histories – a Te Papa project exploring different 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.

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.

Sir Edmund Hillary’s Everest rock pendant

It is 100 years since Sir Edmund Hillary was born. Te Papa recently acquired a pendant featuring a rock Hillary collected from the first successful summit of Mt Everest / Chomolungma.

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.

Listen: New Zealand’s Mid-Century Public Art panel talk

In 1950s New Zealand, architects made a habit of commissioning artists to make site-specific works for new buildings. Listen to panellists discuss why – and what happened afterwards.

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?

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.

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.

Listen: Housing for Health, Happiness, and Justice

Listen to leading architects, researchers, and advocates discussing the role of housing in creating a fairer, happier, healthier society.

Make a medal for an everyday hero

Share the Anzac spirit by making a medal for an everyday hero – an essential worker, or someone in your bubble. Wear it when you stand at dawn, and tag us on Facebook when you share a photo.

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.

The stay at home quiz

Board games, television, sewing, weaving, cooking – many of us are trying to keep ourselves entertained while staying at home. Perhaps this quiz, using items from the collections, will help inspire your next project or activity.

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.

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.

The Scots in New Zealand

Think ‘Scots in New Zealand’, and your thoughts will probably turn to tartan, bagpipes, and ‘Auld Lang Syne’. But look beyond these and you’ll find a Scottish presence everywhere in New Zealand life.

Tubular lamp: industrial design in the home

Made from exposed tubular steel, John Crichton's lamp brought industrial materials and processes into the domestic interior and would have seemed radical in 1950s New Zealand. Te Papa decided to recreate it for Modern Living using historic photographs.

Quiz: The Moon landing

50 years ago the world celebrated landing on the moon. How’s your space knowledge? Put it to the test.

Whakatū Wāhine: Women in New Zealand

Explore stories that highlight diverse women’s experiences as they have made positive changes for themselves, their whānau, and their communities.

What remains: When photos capture fleeting nature of time

Collections Data Technician Gareth Watkins finds a series of photographs from the 1800s where a combination of movement and long exposure has created unusual, ghostly scenes.

New Zealanders and the British suffrage movement

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

Listen: Professor Jay Winter on photographing the Great War

Hear a talk by historian Jay Winter, exploring the ‘Kodak revolution’ of World War I and the extensive trail of unofficial photography that ensued.

Saving food, saving lives: WW1 food posters

This collection of propaganda posters was produced by the United States Food Administration during the First World War.

Bring on the bum roll… Dressing for Splendour

Surgical enhancement to make bottoms bigger seems to be all the rage recently. In the 18th century ladies simply paid a visit to her local ‘bum-shop’ to purchase something a little less painful – a tie-on bum-roll.

Quiz: How well do you know Aotearoa New Zealand?

Do you recognise New Zealand in the 1800s and 1900s? Guess where these images by historic photographers Muir & Moodie and the Burton Brothers were taken.

Get it on: Condoms

Today, no form of birth control is as widespread as the condom – or as essential for sexual health. But it wasn’t always so.

The power of lace – making European Splendour 1500-1800

Justine Olsen, curator of decorative art and design discusses the fine process of conserving and preparing lace for display.

Photographing New Zealand’s limbless soldiers of WWI

In 1918, the New Zealand army commissioned photographs of servicemen who had lost limbs during the war. This was part of a government scheme to show that these men were still competent and employable.

Gifts for fathers through the years

Father's Day is celebrated in New Zealand on the first Sunday of September. We've had a rummage through Collections Online and brought together some of our favourite 'dad gifts'.

Conserving and dressing 18th century dresses

Textile conservator Anne Peranteau, and costume mount maker Sam Gatley describe the process of preparing two 18th century dresses for display in an exhibition.

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.

Quiz: The 1918 influenza pandemic

The 1918 influenza lasted three years and infected roughly a quarter of the world’s population. But how much do you know about it?