Te Papa ("Our Place"), The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum of New Zealand. 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". Image File history File links Download high resolution version (993x660, 260 KB) Summary Te Papa (Our Place), The Museum of New Zealand (1 February 2005. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (993x660, 260 KB) Summary Te Papa (Our Place), The Museum of New Zealand (1 February 2005. ... The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ...

The main Te Papa building is on the waterfront in Wellington, on Cable Street. Inside the building are six storeys 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. The 36,000 square metre building had cost NZ$300 million by its opening in 1998. A second building on Tory Street is a scientific research facility and storage area, and is not open to the public. Alternative meanings at Wellington (disambiguation) A view of Wellington from the top of Mount Victoria. ... A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ...

Te Papa was opened on February 14, 1998 by Sir Peter Blake, Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, and two children. 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. February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Sir Peter James Blake KBE (October 1, 1948–December 6, 2001) was a New Zealand yachtsman who led his country to two successive America’s Cup victories. ... The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealands head of government and is the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand. ... The Right Honourable Jennifer Mary Shipley née Robson (born February 4, 1952), Prime Minister of New Zealand from December 1997 to December 1999, was New Zealands first female Prime Minister. ...

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. 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. A policy of biculturalism is typically adopted in nations that have emerged from a history of national or ethnic conflict in which neither side has gained complete victory. ... Tangata is a maori word which among other things, means people (technically, according to the definitive Williams Dictionary of the Maori Language, tangata means man or human being, whilst tāngata with the long ā is the plural meaning people, but in contemporary New Zealand English certain maori words, including m... Interdisciplinary work is that which integrates concepts across different disciplines. ...

Controversy

The museum has sometimes been the centre of controversy. The siting of the nation's most important collection of historical artefacts 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). There has also been criticism that some exhibits were not given due reverence. For example, a major work by Colin McCahon was at one stage juxtaposed with a 1950s refrigerator in a New Zealand culture exhibition. Colin McCahons painting Victory over death 2 (1970) Colin John McCahon (1919 - 1987) was a prominent New Zealand artist. ... It has been suggested that Freezer be merged into this article or section. ...

In December 2005, Te Papa Tongarewa announced a postponement to the long term Toi Te Papa: Art of The Nation, 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.

Full Moon rising over Te Papa

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (896x613, 56 KB) Other versions Originally from en. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (896x613, 56 KB) Other versions Originally from en. ...

Trivia

• 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 de Wheels.

• 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.

• Earthquake strengthening of the Cable Street building was achieved through the revolutionary technology of base isolation—essentially seating the entire building on rubber supports that slow down the effect of an earthquake.

• Filmmakers Gaylene Preston and Anna Cottrell documented the development of Te Papa in their film Getting to Our Place.

• The buildings 1000's of lights are under state of the art computer control, adapt with the changing environment and can be controlled from one central location.

Bogies This game was started by BBCs Dick and Dom as part of their hit childrens TV show, Dick and Dom in da Bungalow. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The current version of the article or section reads like an advertisement. ...

External links

• Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa official website
• Touring exhibitions available from Te Papa
• Te Papa's My Space
• Current exhibition minisite - Egypt Beyond the Tomb on until 29 April 2007