Te Papa facts for kids
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Front side with entrance in 2009
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| Former name | Dominion Museum and National Art Gallery |
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| Established | 1992 |
| Location | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Visitors | 1.5 million (2017) |
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum. You can find it in Wellington. Most people call it Te Papa. This Māori name means 'the treasure box'. The museum opened in 1998. It was created by joining two older museums. More than 1.5 million people visit Te Papa every year. This makes it one of the most visited art galleries in the world. Te Papa believes in showing both Māori and European stories. It focuses on the living history behind its special items.
Contents
How Te Papa Museum Started
From Colonial Museum to Te Papa
The very first museum that led to Te Papa was the Colonial Museum. It started in 1865. Sir James Hector was its first director. This museum was built on Museum Street in Wellington. It mainly collected scientific items. But it also got paintings, old objects, and items from different cultures.
In 1907, the Colonial Museum changed its name to the Dominion Museum. It started to collect a wider range of things. People in Wellington also wanted a public art gallery. So, a law in 1913 helped create a national art gallery in the same building.
Joining Art and History Collections
In 1930, a new law brought the Dominion Museum and the National Art Gallery together. They shared one group of leaders. In 1934, the National Art Gallery moved into the Dominion Museum building. It also joined with the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. This academy sold its land and gave money and art to the new museum. Many early art pieces were gifts from people like Harold Beauchamp and John Ilott.
In 1936, a new building opened on Buckle Street. It housed both the museum and the art gallery. This building was part of the National War Memorial. Later, in 1985, a temporary art space called Shed 11 opened. It showed modern art until 1992.
Te Papa's Official Opening
Te Papa was officially created in 1992. Its full Māori name, Te Papa Tongarewa, means 'container of treasured things and people from Mother Earth in New Zealand'. The museum's goal was to explore New Zealand's national identity.
Te Papa opened its doors on February 14, 1998. The opening ceremony was led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley. It also included famous sailor Sir Peter Blake and two children. A Māori musician, Richard Nunns, played at the dawn ceremony. In its first five months, one million people visited the museum. Since then, about 1 to 1.3 million people visit each year.
Te Papa's Modern Building
The main Te Papa building is on the waterfront in Wellington. It's on Cable Street. Before Te Papa, a five-story hotel stood there. This hotel was carefully taken apart. Its pieces were moved about 200 meters down the road. Now, it's the Museum Hotel.
Jasmax Architects designed Te Papa. Fletcher Construction built it. The building is very large, about 36,000 square meters. It cost NZ$300 million to build. To protect it from earthquakes, the building uses a special New Zealand technology. This technology helps the building move safely during an earthquake.
The museum has six floors. These floors are full of exhibitions, cafes, and gift shops. They show New Zealand's culture, history, and natural environment. Te Papa also has outdoor areas. These areas include fake caves, native plants, and wetlands. There's a second building on Tory Street. This building is for science research and storage. It is not open to the public.
The building's design followed Māori and European ideas. This was based on the Treaty of Waitangi.
What You Can See at Te Papa
Te Papa has many different collections. They include:
- History Collection: This has old dresses and fabrics, some from the 1500s. It also includes the New Zealand Post Archive with stamps and related items. The Pacific Collection has about 13,000 items from the Pacific Islands.
- Natural History: You can see many fossils and animal bones from the past. There's a collection of about 250,000 dried plant samples. The museum also has about 70,000 New Zealand bird specimens. There are also important collections of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.
- Colossal Squid: Te Papa is home to the world's largest specimen of the rare colossal squid. It weighs 495 kilograms (about 1,091 pounds) and is 4.2 meters (about 14 feet) long. Fishermen caught it in the Ross Sea near Antarctica in 2007.
- Cultural Collections: These include photography, Māori taonga (cultural treasures), and items from Pacific cultures.
- Elgar Collection: This is a valuable collection of English and French furniture and paintings. Some pieces are from the 1600s. They were given to the museum in 1946. You can see items from this collection throughout Te Papa.
Exhibitions and Fun Activities
Te Papa has many exhibitions. Some are long-term, showing New Zealand's nature and history. Others are temporary or traveling shows. Most of them are hands-on and interactive. This means you can touch and play with things!
The main cultural space is the Rongomaraeroa marae. This is a special Māori meeting place. It has unique carvings in its meeting house, Te Hono ki Hawaiki.
All permanent exhibitions are free for everyone to visit. Some temporary exhibitions need tickets, but sometimes they have free days.
In 2019, a new exhibition called Te Taiao Nature opened. It's a huge space focusing on New Zealand's natural environment. It still has popular features from older exhibits. For example, you can experience an earthquake house simulation. And of course, you can see the giant 495-kilogram Colossal squid.
In 2022, the Manu Rere Moana exhibition was updated. It shows how traditional navigation has changed over time.
Research and Learning
Te Aka Matua Library
The Te Aka Matua Library is a great place for researchers. It's open by appointment from Monday to Friday. The library has many books and resources. It's especially strong in topics like New Zealand, Māori culture, natural history, art, and photography. You can find it on the fourth floor of the main building.
Mahuki Innovation Accelerator
Mahuki was a special program at Te Papa. It helped teams develop new ideas for museums and cultural places. Ten teams lived at Te Papa and worked on solutions to challenges faced by these institutions.
More to Explore
- List of national galleries
- Rongomaraeroa, the contemporary marae of Te Papa
- Tales from Te Papa, a television series about objects from the collection
