This family brought a 100+ year old tortoise to Te Papa ( NZ national museum) so they could take a photo of the tortoise with her replica in an exhibition.

"We thought we would just pop into Te Papa and see if we could grab a photo with her replica. But she caused quite a sensation, and the next thing we had many staff and lots of members of the public very interested to meet her."

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/591163/torty-the-tortoise-who-survived-world-war-i-sees-te-papa-exhibit-which-tells-her-story

#Torty #TePapa

Gifts to the nation: The National Art Collection at Te Papa.

The Colonial Museum was founded in Wellington in 1865. Its first director, the geologist James Hector, was not particularly interested in forming an art collection – although the museum did acquire and commission many wonderful artworks as part of its scientific research

https://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2026/03/13/gifts-to-the-nation-the-national-art-collection-at-te-papa/ #globalmuseum #museums #art #TePapa

Bug of the Year 2026 and why you should vote for Apsona, the sapphire spider fly.

Bug of the Year was created to celebrate the spectacular and often overlooked invertebrates of New Zealand. Te Papa, Collection Technician Invertebrates Shaun Thomson talks about one of this year’s nominees – a tiny fly with a jewel-like shimmer and a life cycle that borders on the unbelievable.

https://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2026/01/27/bug-of-the-year-2026-and-why-you-should-vote-for-apsona-the-sapphire-spider-fly/ #globalmuseum #insects #TePapa #museums

Te Papa has some of NZ’s greatest artworks, so why won’t our national museum let us see them?

Imagine going to the National Gallery in London and not seeing anything by Turner, Constable or Gainsborough.
The names below are those of New... Zealand artists whose paintings are listed on the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa’s website but which are not on display.

https://archive.ph/EnuKm #globalmuseum #TePapa #museums #art

Caring for the Te Papa palaeontology collection

How the fossils are cared for, so they are available for research and display, both now and long into the future.

https://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2026/01/16/palaeo-introductions-3-caring-for-the-palaeontology-collection/ #globalmuseum #museums #TePapa #collections #fossils

Q&A: Dr Thom Linley, Curator of Fishes at Te Papa.

Dr Thom Linley is the Curator of Fishes at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

https://www.aa.co.nz/membership/aa-directions/features/thom-linley-te-papa-curator-interview/ #globalmuseum #museums #TePapa #fish #Ichthyology