Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Encyclopedia
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum
and art gallery of New Zealand
, located in Wellington
. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".
The museum's principles incorporate the concepts of unified collections; the narratives of culture and place; the idea of forum; the bicultural partnership between Tangata Whenua
and Tangata Tiriti; and an emphasis on diversity and multidisciplinary collaboration.
as founding director. It was built on Museum Street. Halfway through the 1930s the museum moved to a new building
in Buckle Street, where the National Art Gallery of New Zealand was also housed.
. The Gallery was formed with the passing of the National Art Gallery and Dominion Museum Act (1930). Both the Dominion Museum and Gallery were overseen by a single board of trustee
s. The official opening was by the Governor General in 1934.
The early holding consisted largely of donations and bequests, including those from Sir Harold Beauchamp, T. Lindsay Buick, Archdeacon Smythe, N. Chevalier, J. C. Richmond, William Swainson
, Bishop Monrad, Sir John Ilott, and Rex Nan Kivell
.
Eru D. Gore was secretary-manager from 1936 till his death in 1948 when Stewart Bell Maclennan
was appointed the first director. This was the first appointment in New Zealand of a full-time art gallery director. Past directors of Gallery include:
In the early 1990s Hamish Keith
was involved in a public dispute about his role in the National Art Gallery of New Zealand's controversial purchase of two paintings by Charles Goldie.
, Prime Minister
Jenny Shipley
, and two children. The first Chief Executive of the Museum was Dame Cheryll Sotheran. Māori traditional instrumentalist
Richard Nunns
co-led the musicians at a dawn ceremony on opening day.
The museum is run by a Board appointed by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage (currently Christopher Finlayson). Board members have included: Sir Wira Gardiner, Fiona Campbell
, Sue Piper, Judith Tizard
, John Judge, Miria Pomare, Michael Bassett
, Christopher Parkin Sandra Lee
, Ngatata Love
, Sir Ronald Trotter
, Glenys Coughlan, Judith Binney
Philip Carter
and Wendy Lai.
The museum had one million visitors in the first five months of operation, and between 1 and 1.3 million visits have been made in each subsequent year. In 2004, more space was devoted to exhibiting works from the New Zealand art collection in a long-term exhibition called Toi Te Papa: Art of the Nation.
Filmmakers Gaylene Preston
and Anna Cottrell documented the development of Te Papa in their film Getting to Our Place.
, on Cable Street. Inside the building are six floors of exhibitions, cafés and gift shops dedicated to New Zealand's culture
and environment. The museum also incorporates outdoor areas with artificial caves, native bushes and wetlands. A second building on Tory Street is a scientific research facility and storage area, and is not open to the public.
Te Papa was designed by Jasmax Architects and built by Fletcher Construction
. The 36,000 square metre building had cost NZ$300 million by its opening in 1998. Earthquake strengthening of the Cable Street building was achieved through the New Zealand-developed technology of base isolation
- essentially seating the entire building on supports made from lead, steel and rubber that slow down the effect of an earthquake.
The site was previously occupied by a modern five-storey hotel. This was jacked off its foundations onto numerous rail bogies and transported 200 metres down and across the road to a new site, where it is now the Museum Hotel
.
The History Collection includes many dresses and textiles, the oldest of which date back to the sixteenth century
The History Collection also includes the New Zealand Post Archive with around 20,000 stamps and related objects. The Pacific Collection with about 13,000 historic and contemporary items from the Pacific Islands
.
There are significant collections of fossils and archaeozoology
; a herbarium
of about 250,000 dried specimen; a collection of about 70,000 specimen of New Zealand birds; significant amphibians, reptiles and mammal
s.
The museum has the world's largest specimen of the rare colossal squid
(Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni,). It is 500 kilograms (1,102.3 lb) and 33 feet (10.1 m) long. The squid arrived at the museum in March 2007 after being captured by New Zealand fisherman in the Ross Sea
off Antarctica.
The cultural collections include collections on photography
, taonga Māori (Māori cultural treasures), and pacific cultures.
Te Papa has a mixture of long term exhibitions of cultural objects, hands-on and interactive exhibitions, cultural spaces and touring exhibitions. The long term exhibitions of cultural objects focus on New Zealand history, Māori culture
and New Zealand's natural world. The hands-on and interactive exhibitions focus on engaging particularly young visitors and include both indoor areas and out-door areas built and planted for the purpose. The key cultural space is the Te Hono ki Hawaiki marae
with very impressive whakairo
.
All permanent exhibitions are free. Many of the touring exhibition are ticketed, but there are occasional free days
was at one stage juxtaposed with a 1950s refrigerator
in a New Zealand culture exhibition.
In March 1998 a 7 cm high statue of the Virgin Mary sheathed in a condom called Virgin in a Condom
, an art work by Tania Kovat attracted protests by Christians.
In December 2005, Te Papa announced a postponement to the long term Toi Te Papa: Art of The Nation exhibition, that was to coincide with the Wellington Arts Festival. The museum instead repeated a Lord of the Rings exhibition while not updating their website to reflect the change. This caused outrage amongst many in the New Zealand art community.
In October 2006, the New Zealand Defence Industry Association held their annual conference at Te Papa for the fourth consecutive year. Protesters blockaded the front entrance of the museum, preventing access to visitors. In a similar protest the previous year twenty people were arrested.
The museum's logo
, a thumbprint, caused considerable controversy when it was publicised that its development had cost $300,000 - which was actually the cost of the entire branding effort.
New Zealand art commentator Hamish Keith
has been a consistent critic of Te Papa at different times referring to it as a "theme park", the "cultural equivalent to a fast-food outlet" and "not even a de facto national gallery"
In August 2011 a collections manager of Maori artifacts at Te Papa - Noel James Osborne - avoided a charge of domestic assault after claiming it would hamper his international travel for the museum.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
and art gallery of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, located in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".
The museum's principles incorporate the concepts of unified collections; the narratives of culture and place; the idea of forum; the bicultural partnership between Tangata Whenua
Tangata Whenua
Tāngata whenua is a Māori term of the indigenous peoples of New Zealand and literally means "people of the land", from tāngata, 'people' and whenua land.-Meanings:...
and Tangata Tiriti; and an emphasis on diversity and multidisciplinary collaboration.
History
For Te Papa's version of their history see their websiteNew Zealand Dominion Museum
The first predecessor of Te Papa was the Colonial Museum, founded in 1865, with James HectorJames Hector
Sir James Hector was a Scottish geologist, naturalist, and surgeon who accompanied the Palliser Expedition as a surgeon and geologist...
as founding director. It was built on Museum Street. Halfway through the 1930s the museum moved to a new building
New Zealand Dominion Museum building
The New Zealand Dominion Museum building was completed in 1936, and is located on Buckle Street in Wellington next to the National War Memorial. The building originally housed the National Museum, the National Art Gallery of New Zealand and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts...
in Buckle Street, where the National Art Gallery of New Zealand was also housed.
National Art Gallery
The National Art Gallery was opened in 1936 and occupied the first floor of the National Art Gallery and Dominion Museum building on Buckle Street, Wellington. It was originally populated with a collection gifted from the Academy of Fine ArtsNew Zealand Academy of Fine Arts
The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts galleries were opened as a free public gallery on Whitmore Street in 1892...
. The Gallery was formed with the passing of the National Art Gallery and Dominion Museum Act (1930). Both the Dominion Museum and Gallery were overseen by a single board of trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
s. The official opening was by the Governor General in 1934.
The early holding consisted largely of donations and bequests, including those from Sir Harold Beauchamp, T. Lindsay Buick, Archdeacon Smythe, N. Chevalier, J. C. Richmond, William Swainson
William Swainson
William John Swainson FLS, FRS , was an English ornithologist, malacologist, conchologist, entomologist and artist.-Life:...
, Bishop Monrad, Sir John Ilott, and Rex Nan Kivell
Rex Nan Kivell
Sir Rex de Charembac Nan Kivell CMG was a New Zealand-born British art collector, who was knighted on the recommendation of the government of Australia, a country he never visited, for contributing to the National Library of Australia his collection of books, paintings, prints, documents,...
.
Eru D. Gore was secretary-manager from 1936 till his death in 1948 when Stewart Bell Maclennan
Stewart Bell Maclennan
Stewart Bell Maclennan was an New Zealand artist and was a director of the National Art Gallery of New Zealand.Maclennan was born in Dunedin on 14 May 1903. He received his art training at the Dunedin School of Art and the Royal College of Art, London. In 1946 he became the education officer at...
was appointed the first director. This was the first appointment in New Zealand of a full-time art gallery director. Past directors of Gallery include:
- Stewart Bell MaclennanStewart Bell MaclennanStewart Bell Maclennan was an New Zealand artist and was a director of the National Art Gallery of New Zealand.Maclennan was born in Dunedin on 14 May 1903. He received his art training at the Dunedin School of Art and the Royal College of Art, London. In 1946 he became the education officer at...
(1948-68) - Melvin DayMelvin DayMelvin "Pat" Day, CNZM is a New Zealand artist and art historian.Day was born in Hamilton, New Zealand. At the age of eleven, Day began Saturday morning classes at Elam School of Art, University of Auckland, under the tuteleage of Archie Fisher, John Weeks, Lois White and Ida Eise...
(1968-78) - Luit BieringaLuit BieringaLuit Bieringa is a New Zealand art historian and museum consultant.Bieringa held the position of Director at the Manawatu Art gallery from 1971 until 1979, when he was appointed as Director of the National Art Gallery of New Zealand. He held this position until 1989...
(1979-89) - Jenny Harper (1990-92)
In the early 1990s Hamish Keith
Hamish Keith
Hamish Keith, OBE is a writer, art curator, arts consultant and social commentator who lives in Auckland, New Zealand. He is married to the costume designer Ngila Dickson. He was awarded the OBE for services to the arts in 1981...
was involved in a public dispute about his role in the National Art Gallery of New Zealand's controversial purchase of two paintings by Charles Goldie.
Te Papa
Te Papa was established in 1992, by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Act 1992. The official opening took place on 14 February 1998 in a ceremony led by Sir Peter BlakePeter Blake (yachtsman)
Sir Peter James Blake, KBE was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Jules Verne Trophy – setting the fastest time around the world of 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds on catamaran Enza, and led his country to successive victories in the America’s Cup...
, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
Jenny Shipley
Jenny Shipley
Dame Jenny Shipley, DNZM , served as the 36th Prime Minister of New Zealand from December 1997 to December 1999, the first woman to hold this office and the first, and to date only, woman to serve as parliamentary leader of the National Party of New Zealand.-Early life:Shipley was born as Jennifer...
, and two children. The first Chief Executive of the Museum was Dame Cheryll Sotheran. Māori traditional instrumentalist
Maori music
Te Pūoro Māori or Māori Music is music composed or performed by Māori, the native people of New Zealand, and includes a wide variety of folk music styles, often integrated with poetry and dance, as well as modern rock and roll, soul, reggae and hip hop....
Richard Nunns
Richard Nunns
Richard Nunns QSM is a Māori traditional instrumentalist of Pākehā heritage. He is particularly known for playing the Taonga pūoro and his collaboration with fellow Māori instrumentalist Hirini Melbourne. Since Melbourne's death, he is regarded as the world's foremost authority on Māori...
co-led the musicians at a dawn ceremony on opening day.
The museum is run by a Board appointed by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage (currently Christopher Finlayson). Board members have included: Sir Wira Gardiner, Fiona Campbell
Fiona Campbell
Fiona Campbell , also known as Fee or Weefee, is a Scottish cricketer who has represented her country in several international matches....
, Sue Piper, Judith Tizard
Judith Tizard
Judith Tizard is a former New Zealand politician. She was a member of the Labour Party.-Early life:Judith Ngaire Tizard was born in Auckland in 1956...
, John Judge, Miria Pomare, Michael Bassett
Michael Bassett
Michael Edward Rainton Bassett, QSO is a former Labour Party member of the New Zealand House of Representatives and cabinet minister in the reformist fourth Labour government...
, Christopher Parkin Sandra Lee
Sandra Lee-Vercoe
Sandra Rose Te Hakamatua Lee-Vercoe QSO is a former New Zealand politician and diplomat. She served as deputy leader of the Alliance party, and was later High Commissioner to Niue.-Early life:...
, Ngatata Love
Ngatata Love
Sir Ralph Herberley "Ngatata" Love, GNZM, QSO, JP, is a New Zealand Treaty of Waitangi negotiator, academic and Māori leader. Love is a Professor of Business Development at Victoria University of Wellington's Victoria Management School....
, Sir Ronald Trotter
Sir Ronald Trotter
Sir Ronald Ramsay "Ron" Trotter was one of New Zealand’s pre-eminent business leaders. He was knighted for his service to business in 1985.-Business:...
, Glenys Coughlan, Judith Binney
Judith Binney
Dame Judith Binney, DNZM, FRSNZ was a New Zealand historian, writer and Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Auckland. Her work focussed primarily on religion in New Zealand, especially the Māori Ringatū religion founded by Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki and continued by Rua Kenana...
Philip Carter
Philip Carter
Sir Philip David Carter CBE is a Scottish-born football director, life president of Everton Football Club and a former director of Littlewoods....
and Wendy Lai.
The museum had one million visitors in the first five months of operation, and between 1 and 1.3 million visits have been made in each subsequent year. In 2004, more space was devoted to exhibiting works from the New Zealand art collection in a long-term exhibition called Toi Te Papa: Art of the Nation.
Filmmakers Gaylene Preston
Gaylene Preston
Gaylene Preston, ONZM, is a film maker with a particular interest in the documentary format. She lives and works in Wellington, New Zealand.-Biography:...
and Anna Cottrell documented the development of Te Papa in their film Getting to Our Place.
Current building
The main Te Papa building is on the waterfront in WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, on Cable Street. Inside the building are six floors of exhibitions, cafés and gift shops dedicated to New Zealand's culture
Culture of New Zealand
The culture of New Zealand is largely inherited from British and European custom, interwoven with Maori and Polynesian tradition. An isolated Pacific Island nation, New Zealand was comparatively recently settled by humans...
and environment. The museum also incorporates outdoor areas with artificial caves, native bushes and wetlands. A second building on Tory Street is a scientific research facility and storage area, and is not open to the public.
Te Papa was designed by Jasmax Architects and built by Fletcher Construction
Fletcher Construction
Fletcher Construction Limited is a leading New Zealand construction company. It is owned by Fletcher Building Limited and has three main divisions:*Building and interiors *South Pacific...
. The 36,000 square metre building had cost NZ$300 million by its opening in 1998. Earthquake strengthening of the Cable Street building was achieved through the New Zealand-developed technology of base isolation
Base isolation
Base isolation, also known as seismic base isolation or base isolation system, is one of the most popular means of protecting a structure against earthquake forces...
- essentially seating the entire building on supports made from lead, steel and rubber that slow down the effect of an earthquake.
The site was previously occupied by a modern five-storey hotel. This was jacked off its foundations onto numerous rail bogies and transported 200 metres down and across the road to a new site, where it is now the Museum Hotel
Museum Hotel de Wheels
The Museum Art Hotel is located in Wellington, New Zealand. It is one of the largest buildings to have been moved from one site to another....
.
Collections
Online access to Te Papa's collections is available at Collections Online.The History Collection includes many dresses and textiles, the oldest of which date back to the sixteenth century
The History Collection also includes the New Zealand Post Archive with around 20,000 stamps and related objects. The Pacific Collection with about 13,000 historic and contemporary items from the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
.
Zooarchaeology
Zooarchaeology, also known as Archaeozoology, is the study of animal remains from archaeological sites. The remains consist primarily of the hard parts of the body such as bones, teeth, and shells...
; a herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
of about 250,000 dried specimen; a collection of about 70,000 specimen of New Zealand birds; significant amphibians, reptiles and mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s.
The museum has the world's largest specimen of the rare colossal squid
Colossal Squid
The colossal squid , sometimes called the Antarctic or giant cranch squid, is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis...
(Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni,). It is 500 kilograms (1,102.3 lb) and 33 feet (10.1 m) long. The squid arrived at the museum in March 2007 after being captured by New Zealand fisherman in the Ross Sea
Ross Sea
The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land.-Description:The Ross Sea was discovered by James Ross in 1841. In the west of the Ross Sea is Ross Island with the Mt. Erebus volcano, in the east Roosevelt Island. The southern part is covered...
off Antarctica.
The cultural collections include collections on photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, taonga Māori (Māori cultural treasures), and pacific cultures.
Archives
The Archives are located in a separate building at Tory Street and are open for researchers on appointment. There are two categories of archive collections:- The Museum Archives, that go back to the founding of the Colonial Museum in 1865 and that comprise the archives of James Hector. The archives of the National Art Gallery are also part of these archives.
- The Collected Archives. These fall apart in two groups:
- art related records and other archival papers in specialist areas (with for instance the archives of Sir Tosswill WoollastonToss WoollastonSir Mountford Tosswill "Toss" Woollaston was one of the most important New Zealand painters of the 20th century.Born in Toko, Taranaki on April 11, 1910, Woollaston studied art at the Canterbury School of Art in Christchurch...
, Lois WhiteLois WhiteAnna Lois White , known in the art world as Lois White, was a New Zealand painter of the modernist school. She taught at the Elam Art School of the University of Auckland from 1927 until 1963....
and Leonard Mitchell) - a wide variety of archival material, that include the diary of Felton Mathew, Surveyor General at the time of the signing of the Treaty of WaitangiTreaty of WaitangiThe Treaty of Waitangi is a treaty first signed on 6 February 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and various Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand....
, and battle plans and correspondences related to World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
– for instance the GallipoliBattle of GallipoliThe Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
diary of Captain E.P. Cox.
- art related records and other archival papers in specialist areas (with for instance the archives of Sir Tosswill Woollaston
Library
Te Aka Matua Library, previously a publicly accessible library, is now open only to researchers by appointment between 10am-5pm, Monday-Friday. The library is a major research and reference resource, with particular strengths in New Zealand, Māori, natural history, art, photography and museum studies. It is located on the fourth floor of the main building.Exhibitions
For current collections see the Te Papa websiteTe Papa has a mixture of long term exhibitions of cultural objects, hands-on and interactive exhibitions, cultural spaces and touring exhibitions. The long term exhibitions of cultural objects focus on New Zealand history, Māori culture
Maori culture
Māori culture is the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, an Eastern Polynesian people, and forms a distinctive part of New Zealand culture. Within the Māori community, and to a lesser extent throughout New Zealand as a whole, the word Māoritanga is often used as an approximate synonym for Māori...
and New Zealand's natural world. The hands-on and interactive exhibitions focus on engaging particularly young visitors and include both indoor areas and out-door areas built and planted for the purpose. The key cultural space is the Te Hono ki Hawaiki marae
Marae
A marae malae , malae , is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies...
with very impressive whakairo
Whakairo
Toi Whakairo or just whakairo is a Māori traditional art of carving. in wood, stone or bone. Wood was formed into houses, fencepoles, containers, taiaha and tool-handles. Stone, preferably the very-hard pounamu was the chief material for tools of many kinds. Bone was used for fish hooks, needles...
.
All permanent exhibitions are free. Many of the touring exhibition are ticketed, but there are occasional free days
Controversy
The museum has sometimes been the centre of controversy. The siting of significant collections at the water's edge on reclaimed land next to one of the world's most active earthquake fault lines has resulted in concern by some people. There has been criticism of the 'sideshow' nature of some exhibits (primarily the Time Warp section, which has since closed). There has also been criticism that some exhibits were not given due reverence. For example, a major work by Colin McCahonColin McCahon
Colin John McCahon was a prominent New Zealand artist. During his life he also worked in art galleries and as a university lecturer...
was at one stage juxtaposed with a 1950s refrigerator
Refrigerator
A refrigerator is a common household appliance that consists of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump that transfers heat from the inside of the fridge to its external environment so that the inside of the fridge is cooled to a temperature below the ambient temperature of the room...
in a New Zealand culture exhibition.
In March 1998 a 7 cm high statue of the Virgin Mary sheathed in a condom called Virgin in a Condom
Virgin in a Condom
Virgin in a Condom is a controversial sculpture created by Tania Kovat in 1994.It was stolen from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia within days of being exhibited. It attracted Christian protesters when it was on display in 1998 at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa....
, an art work by Tania Kovat attracted protests by Christians.
In December 2005, Te Papa announced a postponement to the long term Toi Te Papa: Art of The Nation exhibition, that was to coincide with the Wellington Arts Festival. The museum instead repeated a Lord of the Rings exhibition while not updating their website to reflect the change. This caused outrage amongst many in the New Zealand art community.
In October 2006, the New Zealand Defence Industry Association held their annual conference at Te Papa for the fourth consecutive year. Protesters blockaded the front entrance of the museum, preventing access to visitors. In a similar protest the previous year twenty people were arrested.
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
, a thumbprint, caused considerable controversy when it was publicised that its development had cost $300,000 - which was actually the cost of the entire branding effort.
New Zealand art commentator Hamish Keith
Hamish Keith
Hamish Keith, OBE is a writer, art curator, arts consultant and social commentator who lives in Auckland, New Zealand. He is married to the costume designer Ngila Dickson. He was awarded the OBE for services to the arts in 1981...
has been a consistent critic of Te Papa at different times referring to it as a "theme park", the "cultural equivalent to a fast-food outlet" and "not even a de facto national gallery"
In August 2011 a collections manager of Maori artifacts at Te Papa - Noel James Osborne - avoided a charge of domestic assault after claiming it would hamper his international travel for the museum.
See also
- Tales from Te PapaTales from Te PapaTales From Te Papa is a television series of mini-documentaries about objects from the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the activities of the Museum staff. The series is a partnership between Television New Zealand and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa...
, a television series of mini-documentaries about objects from the collection - New Zealand Dominion Museum buildingNew Zealand Dominion Museum buildingThe New Zealand Dominion Museum building was completed in 1936, and is located on Buckle Street in Wellington next to the National War Memorial. The building originally housed the National Museum, the National Art Gallery of New Zealand and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts...
- Museum of Wellington City & SeaMuseum of Wellington City & SeaThe Museum of Wellington City & Sea is a museum in Wellington, New Zealand. It occupies the Bond Store, a historic building on Jervois Quay on the waterfront of Wellington Harbour. The conversion of this building into a museum building was completed in 1999....
- Auckland War Memorial MuseumAuckland War Memorial MuseumThe Auckland War Memorial Museum is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its collections concentrate on New Zealand history , natural history, as well as military history.The museum is also one of the most iconic Auckland buildings, constructed in the neo-classicist...
- Canterbury Museum