Accessibility
Helpful information for visitors with disabilities before you visit. When you’re here ask our friendly Hosts for help at any time.
There is specific information about accessibility for exhibitions under the heading Accessibility | E Wātea ana ki on most exhibition pages.
For visitors with mobility impairments
Visitors using wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and other mobility vehicles can easily access most of Te Papa. Accessible areas include:
all our exhibitions
our cafes and stores
most toilets.
You’ll find seats in most exhibitions and along walkways throughout the museum.
The The Te Aka Matua Reading Room lift needs to be operated by a staff member. Please let us know if you'll need lift access when booking an appointment at the library.
Hiring wheelchairs and our mobility scooter
We have some wheelchairs and one mobility scooter available for visitors to borrow for free while you are visiting the museum.
For bookings on the day, please speak to a Host in the Entrance Foyer when you arrive. We can’t guarantee wheelchairs or the mobility scooter will be available if you haven’t booked ahead.
We have:
six wheelchairs (two are not self-propelled)
one mobility scooter (for use for a maximum of three hours).
Need a scooter beyond the museum?
Find out what Wellington City Council offers.
Mobility parking
Park close to our ground-floor entrance at one of five accessible car spaces:
two uncovered
three covered.
Parking cannot be reserved in advance.
Te Papa’s assisted listening system
Our assisted listening system allows you to connect to the audio stream in an event directly to your device headphone or hearing aid. It’s available for visitors attending a conference or certain public programmes, such as panel talks.
How to use Te Papa’s assisted listening system
For visitors who are hard of hearing or Deaf
Most videos at Te Papa have captions.
You can explore Te Papa in New Zealand Sign Language.
Visit our NZSL mobile guide: What’s at Te Papa page to find out about our museum’s levels and some of our exhibitions.
Visit our NZSL mobile guide: Tour of Te Papa page to discover some of Te Papa’s top attractions.
Earmuffs available to borrow
We have earmuffs in adult and child sizes available for you to borrow for free to use while in the museum. These are designed to muffle noise – not to cancel it out entirely. Ask a Host in the Entrance Foyer if you’d like to borrow a set.
For visitors with vision impairments
From time to time, we offer free guided tours designed for visitors with visual impairments, focusing on touch and sound. We will advertise these on our website.
We are also able to offer these visitors a private guided tour.
Accessibility Tour
Toi Art Sensory Tour, 2018. Photo by Jo Moore. Te Papa
Assistance dogs
Certified assistance dogs have the right to access Te Papa when assisting a person with a disability. Please ensure the dog wears the appropriate coat and carries a valid ID card.
Accessible guided tours
We can adapt all our private guided tours. You can also contact us to arrange an adapted education programme.
Accessibility Tour
Education programmes
Audio descriptions
A selection of audio descriptions that have been made for exhibitions and artworks.
Emergencies
Our trained staff will follow procedures in case of an evacuation to safely evacuate all visitors.
