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{{short description|Museum and war memorial in New Zealand}}{{Use New Zealand English|date=February 2017}}{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

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}}363717440display=inline,title}}| native_name_lang = mi| image = Auckland War Memorial Museum Front View 2023.jpg| alt = Large neoclassical-style building with a forecourt featuring a Cenotaph on a Court of Honour. Above the front porch of the building is inscribed a funeral oration attributed to the Greek General Pericles, which reads "MCMXIV{{snd}}MCMXVIII / The whole earth is the sepulchre of famous men / They are commemorated not only by columns and inscriptions in their own country / but in foreign lands also; by memorials graven not on stone / but on the hearts of men." A New Zealand flag atop the building is flown at half-mast. Banners hanging between the columns advertise exhibitions about volcanoes, and Charles Darwin.| caption = Auckland War Memorial Museum| logo = | logo_upright = | logo_alt = | logo_caption = | map_type = Auckland Institute and Museum {{smallTe Papa Whakahiku (1992–2003){{efnname="TPWtranslation"Māori Language Commission>Māori Language Commission Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori in 1992. Sir Hugh Kāwharu explained its meaning in his 2001 lecture, "Land and Identity in Tāmaki: a Ngāti Whātua Perspective": {{blockquoteTe Papa Whakahiku is not a literal translation of "Auckland War Memorial Museum". Te Papa refers to Rangi and Papa>Papatuanuku, the earth mother, the place where all people will be ultimately buried (in this context, in war cemeteries here or abroad). Whakahiku means to bring together treasures, a repository, a museum. Hiku also means the tail of a fish. That is, in the North Island (Māui (mythology)'s legendary fish – Te Ika a Maui) the head is regarded as at Wellington while the tail is at Auckland and all lands to the north: hence "Te Papa Whakahiku".LAND AND IDENTITY IN TāMAKI: A NGāTI WHāTUA PERSPECTIVE LAST=KāWHARU EVENT=EDMUND HILLARY LECTURE >LOCATION=AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND DATE=2001 URL=HTTP://TEKAKANO.AUCKLANDMUSEUM.COM/IMAGES/COMMON/LANDANDIDENTITYLECTURENOTES.PDF ARCHIVE-DATE=2 NOVEMBER 2021 URL-STATUS=LIVE, }}}}}}Encyclopedic museum>Encyclopedic / Universal| accreditation = Hotunui (''Wharenui'')HTTP://WWW.AUCKLANDMUSEUM.COM/COLLECTION/OBJECT/AM_HUMANHISTORY-OBJECT-33243 PUBLISHER=AUCKLAND WAR MEMORIAL MUSEUM ARCHIVE-DATE=30 JANUARY 2018 URL-STATUS=LIVE, Waka (canoe)>waka taua)HTTP://WWW.AUCKLANDMUSEUM.COM/COLLECTIONS-RESEARCH/COLLECTIONS/RECORD/AM_HUMANHISTORY-OBJECT-582613 >TITLE=TE TOKI A TAPIRI, WAKA TAUA ACCESS-DATE=24 JANUARY 2018 ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20151119144851/HTTP://WWW.AUCKLANDMUSEUM.COM/COLLECTIONS-RESEARCH/COLLECTIONS/RECORD/AM_HUMANHISTORY-OBJECT-582613 The Edmund Hillary ArchiveHTTPS://UNESCOMOW.NZ/INSCRIPTION/SIR-EDMUND-HILLARY-ARCHIVE PUBLISHER=UNESCO MEMORY OF THE WORLD PROGRAMME ARCHIVE-DATE=27 SEPTEMBER 2020 URL-STATUS=LIVE, LAST1=FUREY AUTHOR-LINK1=LOUISE FUREY PUBLISHER=AUCKLAND WAR MEMORIAL MUSEUM QUOTE=AUCKLAND MUSEUM HAS IN THE COLLECTION A UNIQUE TANGIBLE LINK BETWEEN MāORI AND THE EAST POLYNESIAN HOMELAND. A FISHING LURE MADE FROM TROPICAL BLACK-LIPPED PEARL SHELL (PINCTADA MARGARITIFERA) WAS FOUND IN A 1964 ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION AT TAIRUA ON THE COROMANDEL PENINSULA. THE LURE IS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT WAS MADE IN EAST POLYNESIA AND BROUGHT HERE, ON A WAKA (CANOE), WITH THE POLYNESIAN SETTLERS OF AOTEAROA. […] DESPITE OVER 60 YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS IN NEW ZEALAND, THE PEARL SHELL LURE IS THE ONLY OBJECT FROM POLYNESIA TO HAVE BEEN FOUND IN SITU IN AN EXCAVATION. >ARCHIVE-DATE=2 FEBRUARY 2018 URL-STATUS=LIVE, }}| collections = 4500000}} objectsHTTP://WWW.AUCKLANDMUSEUM.COM/YOUR-MUSEUM/ABOUT-US/FIVE-YEAR-PLAN >TITLE=AUCKLAND WAR MEMORIAL MUSEUM TāMAKI PAENGA HIRA FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN PUBLISHER=AUCKLAND WAR MEMORIAL MUSEUM KAITIAKI (GUARDIANS), RESPONSIBLE FOR CARING FOR MORE THAN 4.5 MILLION TREASURES, WE HOLD THE 'DNA' OF AUCKLAND. >ACCESS-DATE=26 JANUARY 2018 ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20180127060840/HTTP://WWW.AUCKLANDMUSEUM.COM/YOUR-MUSEUM/ABOUT-US/FIVE-YEAR-PLAN, live, Fiscal year>FY 2016–17)3, | founder = | executive_director = | director = David Reeves| president = | ceo = Richard Bedford (geographer)>Richard BedfordHTTPS://WWW.AUCKLANDMUSEUM.COM/YOUR-MUSEUM/ABOUT/OUR-ORGANISATION/TRUST-BOARD >TITLE=AUCKLAND MUSEUM TRUST BOARD WEBSITE=AUCKLAND MUSEUM ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20221128075827/HTTPS://WWW.AUCKLANDMUSEUM.COM/YOUR-MUSEUM/ABOUT/OUR-ORGANISATION/TRUST-BOARD, live, | curator = | architect = | historian = | owner = Parnell railway station, Grafton railway station, Auckland>Grafton railway station| parking = Museum Carpark and Auckland Domainembed=yesdesignation1_number=94|designation1_date=6-June-1985}}}}The Auckland War Memorial Museum, Tāmaki Paenga Hira or Auckland Museum is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its neoclassical building constructed in the 1920s and 1950s, stands on Observatory Hill,NEWS, Site of the Museum, The New Zealand Herald, 55, 16784, 26 February 1918, 6,weblink 18 April 2023, 18 April 2023,weblink live, the remains of a dormant volcano, in the Auckland Domain, near Auckland CBD. Museum collections concentrate on New Zealand history (and especially the history of the Auckland Region), natural history, and military history.Auckland Museum's collections and exhibits began in 1852. In 1867 Aucklanders formed a learned society—the Auckland Philosophical Society, soon renamed Auckland Institute.Q, Q115613084, Within a few years Auckland Museum was transferred to Auckland Institute, thereafter known as Auckland Institute and Museum until 1996.Q, Q115692436, 2, Auckland War Memorial Museum was the name of the new building opened in 1929, but since 1996 it has been more commonly used for the institution as well. From 1991 to 2003 the Museum's Māori name was .Q, Q115692466, 11–12, Q, Q115692522, 7–8,

Early history

Auckland Museum, established in 1852, was originally housed in a small cottage in Grafton Road, referred to as "Old Government Farm House" or "The Governor's Dairy", near the corner with Symonds Street;NEWS, Auckland Museum, The New-Zealander, 8, 682, 27 October 1852, 2,weblink 13 April 2023, 14 April 2023,weblink live, NEWS, The Auckland Museum and Institute, The New Zealand Herald, 13, 4544 (Supplement), 7 June 1876, 1,weblink 13 April 2023, 14 April 2023,weblink live, an area now part of the University of Auckland. The public were first admitted on Sunday 24 October 1852, and every Wednesday and Saturday thereafter;NEWS, Auckland Institute and Museum, The Daily Southern Cross, 32, 5194, 5 June 1876, 2,weblink Papers Past, 18 April 2023, 18 April 2023,weblink live, NEWS, Auckland Museum, The Daily Southern Cross, 21, 2504, 29 July 1865, 5,weblink Papers Past, 18 April 2023, 18 April 2023,weblink live, Honorary Secretary John Alexander Smith announcing that the museum was now open to the public in the newspapers from 29 October that year:{{blockquote|THE object of this Museum is to collect Specimens illustrative of the Natural History of New Zealand—particularly its Geology, Mineralogy, Entomology, and Ornithology.Also,Weapons, Clothing, Implements, &c., &c, of New Zealand, and the Islands of the Pacific.Any Memento of Captain Cook, or his Voyages will be thankfully accepted.Also, Coins and Medals (Ancient and Modern.)In connection with the above, there is an Industrial Museum, to exhibit—Specimens of:{{block indent|1={{ubl|building & ornamental Stone,|Timber for various purposes|Clays, Sands, &c., &c.,|Dyes—Tanning substances, &c,|Gums, Resins, &c.,|Flax, Hemp, Hair, &c., &c.}}}}As it is desirable that samples of New Zealand Wool should be exhibited—contributors are requested to send samples in duplicate, as soon as convenient, stating—the Sheep, where bred—of what breed—also the age—who contributed by.Donors are requested to send their contributions directed to the Honorary Secretary, at the Museum, any day in the week, except those open to the public.—Stating—the name of the contributor—where from—who contributed by—date—and any remarks that are considered necessary.{{right|{{smallcaps|J. A. Smith}},{{Break}}Hon. Sec.{{Break}}Auckland, 25 October 1852.NEWS,weblink The Auckland Museum, 29 October 1852, The Southern Cross, 23 January 2018, 557, 9, 2, Papers Past, 31 March 2022,weblink live, }}}}The Museum attracted 708 visitors in its first year.NEWS, Auckland Museum, The Southern Cross, 10, 661, 28 October 1853, 2,weblink Papers Past, 18 April 2023, 18 April 2023,weblink live, Interest in the museum dwindled over the following decade even as its collection grew, and in 1869 the somewhat neglected and forlorn museum was transferred to the care of the Auckland Institute, a learned society formed two years earlier. An Italianate-style building was constructed for the museum in Princes Street, near Government House and across the road from the Northern Club. It was opened on 5 June 1876 by the Governor of New Zealand, George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby.Q, Q115612992, These new premises included a large gallery top-lit by a metal framed skylight. This room proved problematic as it was impossible to heat during the winter but overheated during the summer. Canvas awnings used to shield the roof from harsh sunlight made the exhibits difficult to view in the resulting gloom. Several exhibition halls were added to the side of the original building.Q, Q58623324, One of the visitors during the 1890s was the French artist Gauguin, who sketched several Maori items and later incorporated them into his Tahitian period paintings.

War Memorial building

File:Entablature-Auckland Museum.JPG|thumb|right|Part of the entablature on the museum's façade, depicting war scenes on its Doric frieze in an alternating pattern of metopes (decorated panels) and (triglyph]]s (channelled stone).WEB,weblink The Auckland Museum frieze: Scenes of war, Stevens, Andrea, 23 November 2015, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 24 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128040811weblink">weblink live, )In the early years of the 20th century the museum and its collections flourished under visionary curator Thomas Cheeseman, who tried to establish a sense of order and separated the natural history, classical sculpture and anthropological collections which had previously been displayed in a rather unsystematic way. The need for better display conditions and extra space necessitated a move from the Princes Street site, and eventually the project for a purpose-built museum was merged with the idea creating a memorial to commemorate soldiers lost in the First World War. After extensive consultation between the Mayor, Sir James Gunson and Thomas Cheeseman, the site chosen was a hill in the Government Domain commanding an impressive view of the Waitematā Harbour. Permission was granted by the Auckland City Council in 1918, the Council in its liberality being given three seats on the Museum Council. In addition to an initial gift of {{GBP|10000|1920|link=yes|round=-4|about=yes}}, the council also agreed to an annual subsidy from rates towards maintenance of the facility, and eventually coaxed several of the other local bodies to the principle of an annual statutory levy of {{GBP|6000}} to support the museum's upkeep.A worldwide architectural competition was funded by the Institute of British Architects, with a prize of {{GBP|1000|1920|round=-4|about=yes}} sterling drawing more than 70 entries. The Auckland firm of Grierson, Aimer and Draffin won with their neo-classical design reminiscent of Greco-Roman temples. In 1920, the present site was settled on as a home for the museum, and in August 1925, after successful fund-raising led by Auckland Mayor Sir James Gunson, building of the Auckland War Memorial Museum began. Construction was completed in 1929, and the Museum's new building was opened by the Governor-General, General Sir Charles Fergusson. The museum's architects commissioned Kohn's Jewellers of Queen Street to create a finely detailed silver model of the museum. This was presented to Gunson upon completion of the museum, in recognition of his extensive work in leading the project. After the death of Sir James, the model was presented to the museum by his son Wallace Gunson, where it remains on display to this day.(File:MuseumSilverModel.jpg|thumb|alt=Sir James Gunson. Auckland Museum Silver Model |Presentation to Sir James Gunson. Auckland Museum Silver Model.)The building is considered{{By whom|date=November 2010}} to be one of the finest Greco-Roman buildings in the Southern Hemisphere. It has an 'A' classification from the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, designating it as a building whose preservation is of the utmost importance. Of particular interest is the interior plasterwork which incorporates Māori details in an amalgamation of Neo-Greek and art-deco styles. Likewise the exterior bas-reliefs, carved by Richard Gross (1882{{Snd}}1964) and depicting 20th-century armed forces and personnel, are in a style which mixes Neo-Grec with Art Deco.Restored 19th-century plaster casts of three Greek statues—The Dying Gaul,WEB,weblink Statue of the Dying Galatian, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 1997X1.10, 26 January 2018, In 1878, the Auckland Museum in Princes Street received a gift of 33 casts of antique statuary from a wealthy expatriate Aucklander, Thomas Russell. John Logan Campbell saw the opportunity to establish the first free school of art in Auckland to be located in the Museum. Other classical statues were subsequently donated[, and] were used as models for figure drawing. This plaster replica was made in the cast workshop of [Domenico] Brucciani's Galleria delle Belle Arti in Russell St, Covent Garden, London., 19 April 2023,weblink live, "Laocoön and His Sons", and "Discobolus"—emphasise the Greek Revival architecture of the building, and are considered "an acknowledgement of the historical importance of the arts and learning of classical antiquity to [New Zealand's] imported European culture".WEB,weblink The Russell Statues, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 10 February 2022, 10 February 2022,weblink live, They are among 33 statuesWEB,weblink Search for creator: "Domenico Brucciani", Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 10 February 2022,weblink live, donated to the Museum in 1878 by a wealthy expatriate Aucklander, Thomas Russell.WEB,weblink Polyhymnia sculpture, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 19 April 2023,weblink live, The bulk of the building is English Portland stone, with detailing in New Zealand granite from the Coromandel. The quotation over the front porch—which begins "{{Sc|The whole earth is the sepulchre of famous men}}"—is attributed to the Greek statesman Pericles; its appearance is in keeping with the Museum's status as a war memorial.WEB,weblink Names on the walls, engraved in stone, Lorimer, Elizabeth, 7 November 2016, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 24 January 2018, 30 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180130110721weblink">weblink live, The full text reads as follows:{{Center|{{Poemquote|{{sc|MCMXIV – MCMXVIIIThe whole earth is the (wikt:sepulchre|sepulchre) of famous menThey are commemorated not only by columns and inscriptions in their own countryBut in foreign lands also by memorials graven not on stonebut on the hearts of menWEB,weblink Pericles' funeral oration, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Bernard Makoare, 24 January 2018, 30 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180130110705weblink">weblink live, }}}}}}

Additions

The 1929 building was designed with a view to future extension. Two additions were made to the original building, the first in the late 1950s to commemorate the Second World War when an administration annexe with a large semi-circular courtyard was added to the southern rear.JOURNAL, 1175-2025, 9, 1, 23–27, Newman, Keith, Keith Newman (writer), Strength, struggle, freedom, E.nz Magazine: The Magazine of Technical Enterprise, Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, January 2008, This extension is of concrete-block construction rendered in cement stucco to harmonise with the Portland stone of the earlier building. This major extension was designed by the architects M. K. and R. F. Draffin – one of the original architects and his son.BOOK, Stevens, Andrea,weblink A living memorial, 2011, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Auckland, 30 January 2022, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128040819weblink">weblink live, In 2006, the inner courtyard was enclosed by a "Grand Atrium" at the southern entrance.REPORT,weblink Auckland War Memorial Museum Annual Plan 2006/2007, 2007, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 3, In December 2006, the $64.5 million 'Grand Atrium' will be officially opened., 24 January 2018, PDF, 30 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180130113105weblink">weblink live,

Renovation and extension

File:museum from mt eden.jpg|thumb|right|The museum seen from Maungawhau / Mount Eden, showing the wavy shape of the copper dome.]]In the last two decades, the museum was renovated and extended in two stages. The first stage saw the existing building restored and the exhibits partly replaced during the 1990s for {{NZ$|43 million|link=yes}}. The second stage of this restoration has seen a great dome and atrium constructed within the central courtyard, increasing the building's floor area by 60 per cent (an addition of {{Convert|9600|sqm||abbr=on}}) at a cost of {{NZ$|64.5 million}}. {{NZ$|27 million}} of that was provided by the government, with the ASB Trust ({{NZ$|12.9 million}}) and other donors making up the remainder.NEWS,weblink Spectacular makeover nearly ready, Bernard, Orsman, 8 September 2006, The New Zealand Herald, 10 February 2022, 10 February 2022,weblink live, This second stage was finished in 2007.The copper and glass dome, as well as the viewing platform and event centre underneath it, had been criticised by some as "resembling a collapsed soufflé", but quickly won the admiration of critics and public, being noted for "its undulating lines, which echo the volcanic landscape and hills around Auckland".NEWS,weblink View from museum's dome beats all criticism, Gregory, Angela, 16 November 2006, The New Zealand Herald, 10 February 2022, en-NZ, 1170-0777, 10 February 2022,weblink live, Standing in the event centre underneath the top of the dome was likened to being underneath the "cream-coloured belly of a giant stingray, with its rippling wings hovering over the distinctive city skyline". In June 2007, the Grand Atrium project also received the Supreme Award of the New Zealand Property Council, which noted it as being "world-class", and a successful exercise in combining complex design and heritage demands. It has also received the ACENZ Innovate NZ Gold Award (Structural Engineering) for the redevelopment.NEWS,weblink Museum's grand atrium project takes top award, Anne, Gibson, 30 June 2007, The New Zealand Herald, 10 February 2022, 10 February 2022,weblink live, Auckland Museum Grand Atrium Project – Innovate NZ, Brochure of the '2007 ACENZ Awards of Excellence', Page 6(File:Auckland Museum Model Stage II.jpg|thumb|right|Model of the museum with the new copper dome at the rear.)The new sections underneath the dome, mostly contained within a kauri-wood-panelled sphere approximately {{Convert|30|m||abbr=on}} across, add {{Convert|900|sqm||abbr=on}} of additional exhibition space, as well as an event centre under the dome roof with a free span {{Convert|48|m}} wide, plus new areas for tour and school groups, including an auditorium in the sphere-bowl with 200 seats. The bowl, which is the internal centre-piece of the expansion, weighs 700 tonnes and is suspended free-hanging from trusses spanning over it from the four elevator shafts located around it. A new 204-space underground parking garage at the rear has also been constructed to help cover the high demand for parking in the Domain.WEB,weblink Atrium, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 10 February 2022, 10 February 2022,weblink live, The new sections of the museum have been favourably likened to a Matryoshka doll—buildings nested within a building.In 2020, the museum opened a new set of exhibitions called Tāmaki Herenga Waka: Stories of Auckland.WEB,weblink Tāmaki Herenga Waka: Stories of Auckland, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 10 February 2022, 5 February 2022,weblink live, This includes sections on the land, water, and city, as well as specific areas focused on activism and data visualisation. The data visualisation section, titled Living City: Rarau mai, explores the city's ethnically diverse population with large-scale visual displays focusing on three themes: people, environment and systems. This was created in collaboration with Data Visualisation Design Consultancy firm Oom Creative and draws from a range of databases including iNaturalist, National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), and census data. The exhibition includes a soundscape by Marco Cher-Gibard.NEWS, Kerr-Lazenby, Mina, 15 April 2021, Stories of Auckland: New exhibit shows Tāmaki Makaurau's rich tapestry of cultures,weblink live, Stuff (website), Stuff,weblink 14 April 2021, 10 February 2022, (File:Te Ao Mārama (the realm of Being and Light), South Atrium of the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira.jpg|alt=A large museum atrium featuring a large wooden bowl-shaped structure suspended from the ceiling|thumb|Te Ao Mārama (the realm of Being and Light) South Atrium of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, completed in 2020.)Also in 2020 was the opening of the redesigned South Atrium entrance, Te Ao Mārama. This built on Auckland architect Noel Lane's 2006 design which featured the large Samoan-inspired Tanoa bowl at its core. The new atrium was a design collaboration between Australasian architecture firms, Jasmax, Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp, and designTRIBE, in collaboration with iwi and pasifika communities in Auckland with a multicultural focus.WEB, Te Ao Mārama: Ripe and bursting at the seams,weblink 20 May 2023, Architecture Now, en-AU, 20 May 2023,weblink live, Under the Tanoa bowl is an AV installation containing stories from Ngāti Whātua Orākei, Ngāti Paoa and Waikato Tainui.NEWS, Cusick, Ashley, 1 December 2020, First look: Auckland War Memorial Museum South Atrium, Architecture Now,weblink 10 February 2022, 5 March 2022,weblink live, Several artworks were commissioned for Te Ao Mārama. The gateway (titled Te Tatau Kaitiaki) was created by artist Graham Tipene.WEB, South Atrium Artworks: Tatau Kaitiaki,weblink live, Auckland War Memorial Museum,weblink 20 January 2021, It depicts two manaia, as well as Tipene's Grandmother, and his Mother who died in 2014 – Tipene called the commission "a huge honour", saying "When I heard I was given this task, my first thought was mum."NEWS, Harawira, Tumamao, 17 November 2020, New doors open for Auckland Museum's southern atrium entrance, Te Ao Māori News,weblink 10 February 2022, 22 June 2021,weblink live, Placed centrally in the atrium is Manulua – twin sculptures by Tongan artist Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi.WEB, South Atrium Artworks: Manulua,weblink live, Auckland War Memorial Museum,weblink 20 January 2021, 10 February 2022, They represent the traditional practise of lalava (lashing) and symbolise "the unity of all things past, present and future."NEWS, 30 November 2020, Auckland Museum reopens its South Atrium entrance, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Scoop (website), Scoop,weblink 10 February 2022, 31 March 2022,weblink live, Outside the entrance is the sculpture Whaowhia by Brett Graham – a nod to the purpose of the museum as a war memorial and as a holder of knowledge.WEB, South Atrium Artworks,weblink live, Auckland War Memorial Museum,weblink 20 January 2021, 10 February 2022, Finally Wāhi Whakanoa two new whakanoa by Chris Bailey were commissioned for the space, inspired by Hine-pÅ«-te-hue the female guardian of the hue, and Rongomātāne the God associated with peace and cultivated plants.WEB, South Atrium Artworks: Wahi Whakanoa,weblink live, Auckland War Memorial Museum,weblink 20 January 2021, 10 February 2022,

Railway access

Parnell railway station, which features the historic station building of the Newmarket station, was opened on 12 March 2017 in the suburb of Parnell, directly to the east of the Museum.NEWS,weblink Low passenger numbers force Westfield Station's closure, Manukau Courier, Stuff (website), Stuff, 17 January 2017, 13 March 2017, 18 September 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170918102727weblink">weblink live, It was thought that the station would see high demand from museum visitors, especially students and school children.NEWS,weblink Delight at Government's decision to reopen Onehunga line, Mathew, Dearnaley, 14 March 2007, The New Zealand Herald, 10 February 2022, 10 February 2022,weblink live,

Collections, exhibitions and research

Auckland Museum's collections are organised into three principal areas: documentary heritage (manuscripts, correspondence and other historical documents in archives, along with pictorial art); the major branches of the natural sciences; and human history (broadly, material culture).WEB,weblink About our collection, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 25 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128093957weblink">weblink live, The Museum maintains a high degree of regional cooperation and complementary collecting with other organisations across Auckland (among them Auckland Libraries and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki), and has done since its inception.WEB,weblink George Samuel Graham – Papers, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 25 January 2018, George Graham's papers are held in Auckland Libraries' Sir George Gray Special Collections and in the Auckland War Memorial Museum Library, with the latter holding the greater part., 14 March 2022,weblink live, WEB,weblink The Mackelvie Collection, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 24 January 2018, Auckland Museum holds all of the applied arts that Mackelvie donated to Auckland, both while he was alive and on his death. Paintings and sculptures are held in the Auckland Art Gallery and books are held in the Auckland Library., 27 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180127233222weblink">weblink live,

Documentary Heritage

The Museum's nationally and internationally significant Documentary Heritage collections comprise manuscripts, ephemera, maps, charts and plans, newspapers and periodicals, rare and contemporary books and pamphlets, photographs, and works of art in the form of paintings, bookplates, and sketches and drawings. Among the areas of significant focus are Māori and Pacific cultures,WEB,weblink Māori language, whakapapa, history, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 30 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180130202846weblink">weblink live, the human and natural history of the Greater Auckland region, New Zealanders' involvement in global conflicts, and exploration and discovery.WEB,weblink Te Pātaka Mātāpuna: Research Library, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 10 February 2022, 30 January 2022,weblink live, The Museum holds the only known extant copy of A Korao no New Zealand, the first book written in the Māori language, published at Sydney in 1815 by the missionary Thomas Kendall.WEB,weblink A korao no New Zealand, Warren, Geraldine, 20 May 2015, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 15 February 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190215050505weblink">weblink live, File:New-zealanders-first-book-title.jpg

Pictorial

The Museum has considerable holdings in historic paintings, rare watercolours, photographs and other artworks.WEB,weblink Documentary Heritage, www.aucklandmuseum.com, 24 January 2018, 30 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180130202431weblink">weblink live, The Pictorial collection numbers in the millions,WEB,weblink Collections Online: Documentary Heritage, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 24 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128002315weblink">weblink live, and contains some of the earliest examples of the development of the photographic arts and technology in New Zealand, including calotypes by William Fox Talbot; some of the first known daguerrotypes made in New Zealand,WEB,weblink NZ-made: Early New Zealand cased photographs, Higgins, Shaun, 20 May 2015, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128041911weblink">weblink live, and an ambrotype portrait of the Ngā Puhi chief Tāmati Wāka Nene attributed to John Nicol Crombie.WEB,weblink Tamati Waka Nene, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 3 February 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180203064254weblink">weblink live, The latter part of the 20th century is substantially represented by the collection of the documentary photographer Robin Morrison, while among the women photographers of note represented are Una Garlick and Margaret Matilda White. Other collections include the documentary photographs of the Auckland Star and New Zealand Herald newspapers; some work by Arthur Ninnis Breckon and George Bourne, including images made for the Auckland Weekly News;WEB,weblink Photographs of a prophet, Dix, Kelly, 26 March 2016, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128015036weblink">weblink live, the work of Tudor Washington Collins and John Watt Beattie,WEB,weblink John Watt Beattie's south and western Pacific views, Higgins, Shaun, 20 May 2015, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, In 1933 Auckland Museum purchased, for the grand sum of £25, a series of some 1300 glass plate negatives from Beattie's Studios Pty. Ltd., Hobart, Tasmania. The negatives were the work of photographer John Watt Beattie, taken during an expedition to the South and Western Pacific in 1906., 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128040756weblink">weblink live, and the archive of Sparrow Industrial Pictures. The paintings and drawings collection includes works by Charles Heaphy, Gustavus von Tempsky, George French Angas, and John Webster, as well as portraits of Māori by C. F. Goldie and Gottfried Lindauer, and an impressive set of albums by the 19th-century clergyman and watercolour artist John Kinder. The Museum also has a significant bookplate collection, which contains more than 7,000 plates collected by the renowned Australian scholar Percy Neville Barnett.WEB,weblink Bookplates: Small Works of Art, Lilly, Hugh, 9 July 2015, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 24 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128032507weblink">weblink live,

Manuscripts and archives

The Manuscripts and Archives collection is of major regional importance and, at approximately 2,000 linear metres, it is one of the largest non-governmental archives in New Zealand. The collection covers large organisational and business archives and smaller personal collections which record and illustrate New Zealanders' lives within the country and abroad, especially during military service.Among the personal papers held at the Museum are 19th-century papers relating to the pioneering Williams familyWEB,weblink Papers relating to the Williams family, Auckland War Memorial Museum, MS-90-70, 24 January 2018, Collection includes deeds, wills, birth, death and marriage certificates., 9 December 2021,weblink live, and the Reverend Vicesimus Lush; the papers of the politician John Logan Campbell,WEB,weblink Sir John Logan Campbell – Papers, www.aucklandmuseum.com, MS-51, 26 January 2018, 27 January 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190127122140weblink">weblink live, who has been called "the father of Auckland"; the mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist Edmund Hillary;WEB,weblink Sir Edmund Hillary – Personal papers, Auckland War Memorial Museum, MS-2010-1, 26 January 2018, 1 February 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180201191723weblink">weblink live, and those of the British Resident James Busby. In addition, the Library also holds the papers of:

• Former Museum Director and Curator Thomas Frederick Cheeseman
• Botanist Leonard Cockayne
• Librarian and author Johannes C. Andersen
• Historians Ruth Ross and Jack Lee{{Efn-lr|John Roland Preston Lee, 1913–1998.|name=jacklee|group=MS}}
• Potter, writer, and conservationist Barry BrickellWEB,weblink Barry Brickell, Lilly, Hugh, Passau, Victoria, 5 August 2016, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, Auckland Museum holds papers relating to Brickell's studio, his artistic practice and his commissioned works, both public and private. The collection, which dates from 1965 to 1985, includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, sketches and photographs., 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128015101weblink">weblink live,

{{Notelist-lr|group=MS}}Among the companies and organisations represented in the collection are:

• Crown Lynn Potteries (covering the period 1959{{Snd}}1987)
• The Martha Gold Mining Company (covering the period 1915{{Snd}}1951)
• Seed merchants Arthur Yates & Co. (covering the period 1882{{Snd}}1940)
• Pelorus Press Ltd. (covering the period 1947{{Snd}}1978)
• The Farmers' Trading Company (covering the period 1909{{Snd}}1987)

The collection includes both local and national society records; some examples include:

• Ornithological Society of New Zealand
• Auckland Society of Arts
• Auckland Acclimatisation Society
• Auckland Amateur Operatic Society
• Auckland Choral Society
• Auckland Studio Potters
• Auckland Photographic Society

The Library is the repository of the Presbyterian Church records for Auckland and Northland.About 600 manuscripts contain material by or about women. These provide fascinating insights into the lives of both pioneering and contemporary women, and are described in the Museum publication Womanscripts, compiled by Sue Loughlin and Carolyn Morris (1995).BOOK, He Reo Wāhine: Māori women's voices from the nineteenth century, Paterson, Lachy, Wanhalla, Angela, Auckland University Press, 2017, 978-1775589273, Auckland, New Zealand, 1000453795, We began gathering the voices of Māori women and their writings by building on the work of previous research, for example […] Auckland War Memorial Museum's Womanscripts…, Nearly 300 manuscripts are described as being Māori or having Māori elements. Most of these are recorded in Jenifer Curnow's 1995 book Ngā Pou Ārahi,BOOK, Curnow, Jenifer, Jenifer Curnow, 1995, Ngā Pou Ārahi: A Tribal Inventory of Manuscripts Relating to Māori Treasures, Language, Genealogy, Songs, History, Customs and Proverbs, Auckland Institute and Museum, 978-0-908623-44-0, 608130293, a tribal inventory relating to Māori treasures, language, genealogy, songs, history, customs and proverbs.

Maps and plans

The Museum is one of a small number of organisations in New Zealand which collects and cares for historic maps. The map collection contains large sequences of official New Zealand maps, WWII-era military maps, subdivision plans,WEB,weblink South Auckland Real-Estate Plans, Senior, Julie, 20 May 2015, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128041729weblink">weblink live, and other material, including atlases, which helps record and provide evidence of early New Zealand development.WEB,weblink Search for "Maps/Plans", Auckland War Memorial Museum, en, 10 February 2022, 10 February 2022,weblink live, There is also a small collection of significant maps relating to the discovery and exploration of the Pacific Ocean and islands by Europeans, dating from before 1800.WEB,weblink Early European charts of the Pacific Ocean, Senior, Julie, 18 August 2015, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128025601weblink">weblink live,

Serials and newspapers

Serials were the first collection items ordered by the Auckland Institute when it was formed in 1867. There are approximately 4,500 historical and current titles in the assemblage, excluding electronic journals.WEB,weblink Search for doctype: "Serial", Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 30 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180130005111weblink">weblink live, The extent, and in some cases uniqueness, of the Museum's holdings of historical and current journals makes their research value of national importance.The Museum holds the country's most significant collection of Auckland newspapers,WEB,weblink Heritage Auckland newspapers, Legel, Paula, 6 July 2015, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128035207weblink">weblink live, based on a 1967 donation by Wilson & Horton of their historical Auckland newspapers dating from the early 1840s and supplemented by individual donations. The Museum contributes to the research site Papers Past, as well as to the national network of institutions that hold historical newspapers.

Museum Library Te Pātaka Mātāpuna

The Museum's own business and research archives (covering its governance, curation, exhibitions, education, publishing, building development and maintenance, and internal management) are housed alongside the above, and are accessed by way of the Museum Library Te Pātaka Mātāpuna, one of the country's leading heritage research libraries. The Library's collections of books and other publications are focused on New Zealand subject areas and are developed chiefly to support curatorial work and collecting, but also feature significant holdings of Māori-language material, and an impressive collection of rare books, including 16th-century herbals and florilegia,WEB,weblink Illustrated leaves, Bayliss, Tamsyn, 11 March 2016, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128015007weblink">weblink live, and many rare volumes on conchology.WEB,weblink Rare books and conchology, Bayliss, Tamsyn, 20 May 2015, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128041836weblink">weblink live, In addition, there exists an extensive collection of ephemera, built for the most part on donations from private collectors starting in the 19th century.

Natural sciences

The Museum's natural sciences collections are principally a research and reference assemblage that provides information on the distribution and morphology of plant, animal and mineral species in New Zealand and the regional Pacific. The Museum stores and exhibits 1.5 million natural history specimens from the fields of botany, entomology, geology, land vertebrates and marine biology.WEB,weblink Natural Sciences, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 10 February 2022, 10 February 2022,weblink live,

Botany

AK is the index herbariorum code for the Auckland War Memorial Museum.WEB,weblink Herbarium details: Auckland War Memorial Museum (AK), New Zealand National Herbarium Network, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, 26 January 2018, 27 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180127123319weblink">weblink live, WEB, Herbarium List – The William & Lynda Steere Herbarium: AK,weblink 9 November 2020, New York Botanical Garden, 31 March 2022,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20220331200806weblink">weblink live, The botanical collections of the Auckland Museum Herbarium (AK) were first established in 1870,WEB,weblink About Our Collections: Botany, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 23 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128003815weblink">weblink live, and are the means by which the department carries out its function of collection and preservation of botanical materials, education—through public enquiries, individual and group visits, outreach programmes, and the display of material—and research and publication on various aspects of New Zealand flora. The focus of the herbarium collection is on wild plants (native and naturalised) in all plant groups principally from northern New Zealand and its offshore islands. Auckland Museum's is one of only three significantly sized herbaria in New Zealand; the others are at Landcare Research Auckland and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, in Wellington.The herbarium contains a number of collections from significant botanists including Thomas Cheeseman (curator, 1874{{Snd}}1923), and Captain James Cook's botanists, Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander. The Herbarium holds over 333,000 botanical specimens—including 200,000 angiosperms, 5,000 gymnosperms, 30,000 pteridophytes, 21,500 mosses, 12,300 liverworts, 22,000 algae, 27,200 lichens, and 1,000 timber samples.WEB,weblink Cataloguing our collections, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128003821weblink">weblink live, The Museum also holds a substantial collection of kauri gum, and a specialist collection of "fern books" (bound collections of ferns made by amateurs and professionals) along with a small "wet" collection—specimens preserved in liquid—of flowers, fruit and algae.WEB,weblink Natural Sciences Wet Collection Project, Harvey, Megan, 8 January 2016, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 24 January 2018, 20 April 2023,weblink live, File:. Microsorum parksii (Copel.) Copel. (AM AK118716-2).jpg|File:Abies insignis (AM AK346048).jpg|File:Abrodictyum dentatum (Bosch) Ebihara and K.Iwats. (AM AK355664).jpg|File:Aciphylla aurea W.R.B.Oliv. (AM AK6391).jpg|File:Actinidia chinensis A. deliciosa (A.Chev.) C.F.Liang and A.R.Ferguson var. deliciosa Planch. (AM AK355312).jpg|File:Actinidia polygama (Sieb. and Zucc.) Maxim. (AM AK355328-1).jpg|File:Notheia anomala Bailey and Harv. (AM AK344484).jpg|

Entomology

The Entomology collection contains about 250,000 catalogued specimens and, while focused on the northern areas of New Zealand, includes important collections ranging from Three Kings Islands to the sub-Antarctic Islands. It is part of a national and international network and aims to contain a comprehensive reference collection of all insect types as well as other terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates (worms, spiders, millipedes and centipedes, some isopods and amphipods) from the New Zealand region. This includes both native and introduced species. Its importance lies in the ability to support research into the biodiversity of New Zealand's terrestrial invertebrates (particularly beetles, moths and parasitic wasps), and their contribution to complex ecologies. Foreign collections of beetles and butterflies feature also, for comparative and educational value.In 2009, the Museum acquired a collection of butterflies and books about butterflies bequeathed by the late Ray Shannon, a private collector whose interest in lepidopterology began while he was stationed in the Solomon Islands during the Second World War. The collection contains about 13,000 specimens of just under 3,000 species and subspecies.WEB,weblink The Shannon butterfly collection, Early, John, 4 May 2016, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 2 February 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180202201131weblink">weblink live,

Geology

The Geology collection was originally focused on material from the Waihi, Thames and Coromandel gold fields, through deliberate collecting by the Museum's geologists as well as those donated by private collectors. It has been augmented by volcanic specimens of research and historical interest. The collection of around 12,000 specimens contains a number of nationally significant materials, and supports research work and collections held at other museums, universities and Crown Research Institutes.

Paleontology

The Palaeontology collection was established in the early 1900s and, with more than 20,000 specimen lots, is one of the largest collections of fossil invertebrates in New Zealand. Its importance lies in its ability to contribute understanding of evolutionary change, past biodiversity and the record of dynamic change during the past 65 million years with rapid submergence and uplift at various times during New Zealand's geological history. Past climate change and the significance of glacial cycles and oscillation are reflected in the specimens and their associated data as well.

Land vertebrates

The Land Vertebrates collection comprises more than 12,500 bird specimens, 2,500 amphibians and reptiles, and 1,000 land mammals, primarily collected from Northern New Zealand. Among the specimens are the oldest surviving New Zealand stuffed birds, bought around 1856–57, from Mr I. St John, a taxidermist from Nelson.WEB,weblink History of land vertebrates collection, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 30 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180130210543weblink">weblink live, The collection is particularly strong in kiwi and moa, oceanic seabirds, penguins, cormorants, ducks, waders and allies (Charadriiformes), passerine birds, tuatara, geckos, skinks, Pacific reptiles and New Zealand bats.WEB,weblink Land vertebrates, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 30 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180130210337weblink">weblink live, File:Anomalopteryx didiformis (AM LB5548-2).jpg|File:Crocodylus porosus (AM LH622-2).jpg|File:Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae (AM LB13591-8).jpg|File:Chrysolophus amherstiae (AM LB10984-1).jpg|File:Dendroica castanea (AM LB10015-5).jpg|File:Apteryx mantelli (AM LB8984-3).jpg|File:Aeneator attenuatus Powell, 1927 (AM MA72002-2).jpg|File:Acropora sp. (AM MA143267-5).jpg|File:Austrofusus glans (Roeding, 1798) (AM MA70063-1).jpg|File:Babelomurex wormaldi (Powell, 1971) (AM MA71329-1).jpg|File:Penion sulcatus (Lamarck, 1816) (AM MA71144-1).jpg|

Human history

Applied Arts

Established in 1966, the Museum's Applied Arts and Design collection includes ceramics, jewellery, furniture, glass, metalwork, costumes, textiles, costume accessories, musical instruments, horological objects and objets d'art from around the world.WEB,weblink Applied Arts and Design, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 30 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180130204519weblink">weblink live, The collection numbers nearly 7,000 objectsWEB,weblink Encounter, Clarke, Philip, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018,weblink 30 January 2018, and represents key makers, manufacturers, designs, designers and technical developments and styles primarily of Auckland, but also of the Auckland region of New Zealand, and Western and Eastern cultures. The Applied Arts and Design department receives acquisition funds from the Charles Edgar Disney Art Trust,WEB,weblink Landmarks, Cochrane, Grace, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018,weblink 18 December 2017, Significant gifts of European and Oriental objects and collections, reflecting the interests of individual connoisseurs and collectors, had been made to the Museum, and in 1967 The Charles Edgar Disney Art Trust was set up for the Museum to purchase items in these fields., and has a number of loan collections including the Mackelvie Trust Collection. A collection of 7,000 objects from across Asia is displayed on rotation.WEB,weblink Arts of Asia, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 24 January 2018, 27 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180127233231weblink">weblink live,

Mackelvie Collection

The Museum has on loan all of the applied arts objects donated to the city of Auckland by James Tannock Mackelvie, a Glaswegian Scot who lived and worked in Auckland from 1865 to 1871. He made a fortune in land speculation and gold-mining investments before returning to London, and was perhaps Auckland's single biggest arts benefactor. Mackelvie was a prodigious collector and from the beginning intended his acquisitions to one day form a teaching collection in New Zealand.

Castle Collection of musical instruments

A collection of more than 480 musical instruments was acquired in 1996 from Zillah and Ronald Castle.WEB,weblink Castle Collection of musical instruments, le Valliant, Louis, 5 June 2015, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128032616weblink">weblink live, The Castle Collection contains "rare violins, an 18th century harpsichord and an eclectic collection of instruments associated with New Zealand's pioneer days". The items in the collection "range over every imaginable un-powered device capable of producing music", and includes "workable examples of every member of the violin family, as well as didgeridoos, a zuffolo, harpsichords, a crwth, harps, tablas, a sáhn, horns, trumpets, clarinets, [and] a hurdy-gurdy".

Taonga Māori (Ethnology)

The museum houses a large collection of Māori and Pacific Island artefacts, including Hotunui, a large whare rūnanga (carved meeting house) built in 1878 at Thames, and Te Toki-a-Tapiri,WEB, Te Toki a Tapiri, waka taua,weblink Auckland War Memorial Museum, 19 November 2015, 19 November 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20151119144851weblink">weblink dead, a Māori war canoe from 1830 carved by Te Waaka Perohuka{{DNZB|last=Oliver|first=Steven|id=1p13|title=Te Waaka Perohuka|access-date=20 December 2011}} and Raharuhi Rukupō.WEB, Harrison, Pakariki, Oliver, Steven, July 2020, Dictionary of New Zealand Biography,weblink live, 15 May 2021, Dictionary of New Zealand Biography,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130704231050weblink">weblink 4 July 2013, Within New Zealand, the Taonga Māori collection is of equal significance to that of the national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa. It is a cultural and research resource of the first order, having the most comprehensive range of types and periods of material and is essential for the whole spectrum of studies in Māori art and material culture.WEB,weblink Categories of collections, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128003741weblink">weblink live, The collection dates from the early decades of the founding of the Museum; its focus has been on acquiring first-quality 'masterworks' from all tribal and geographic areas of New Zealand, as well as representative material-culture items. The Museum's collection of ethnic musical instruments is the largest in the country, and is one of the most important in the world.

Pacific

The Museum's comprehensive Pacific collection has a range of arts and material culture from tropical Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia. The collection is diverse both geographically and in type of material, covering all the cultures of the Pacific, from West Papua, north-east to Hawaii and south-east to Easter Island. Objects are collected for their intrinsic cultural or artistic importance, and also for their place within a temporal or geographic range by virtue of the relevance of their maker, who may be anonymous.

World Ethnology

The World (Foreign Ethnology) collection is diverse, the largest and most significant of its type in the country. It aims to reflect a well-balanced range of arts and artefacts of non-Western, -Pacific, and -Māori cultures, and it is an important collection in terms of its ability to portray the diversity of world cultures, in particular that of South-east Asia, because of that area's "prehistoric links with Polynesian cultures and its contemporary regional political significance".

Research

The Museum publishes two scholarly serials as part of its statutory role to advance and promote cultural and scientific scholarship and research—the regular Records of Auckland Museum,{{Efn|{{JSTOR|issn=00670464}} & {{JSTOR|issn=11749202}}.|group=notes|name=jstor_RAM}} which has been published since 1930 and contains results of original research on the Museum collections and research by curatorial and other staff, and associates,WEB,weblink Records of the Auckland Museum, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128061813weblink">weblink live, and the occasional Bulletin, which appears less often and usually contains results of larger research projects. The Records contain more than 450 articles written by over 150 different authors and co-authors dealing mostly with zoology, archaeology, ethnology, and botany. The articles contain important accounts of archaeological excavations and ethnographic objects, and descriptions of nearly 700 new taxa (mostly new animal species and subspecies).WEB,weblink Bulletin of the Auckland Museum, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128061008weblink">weblink live,

War Memorial

(File:Auckland War Memorial Museum cenotaph.jpg|thumb|right|View of The Cenotaph headstones.)The Museum has an extensive permanent exhibition, "Scars on the Heart", covering wars—including the New Zealand Wars and New Zealand's participation in overseas conflicts such as the First and Second World Wars; the Anglo-Boer War; conflicts such as the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and the country's role in UN Peacekeeping missions.WEB,weblink Scars on the Heart, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128135125weblink">weblink live, This exhibition is linked to the War Memorial, and shows, for example, models of Māori pā (fortified settlements) and original SpitfireWEB,weblink Spitfire, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128135129weblink">weblink live, and Mitsubishi ZeroWEB,weblink Zero, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 28 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128135201weblink">weblink live, aeroplanes. In November 2016, ,WEB,weblink maumahara, Te Aka Māori Dictionary, Te Ipukarea (the National Māori Language Institute), en, 25 January 2018, 10 February 2022,weblink live, a memorial enquiry centre, was established,WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180128065317weblink">weblink 28 January 2018, Research Library & Pou Maumahara, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 24 January 2018, WEB,weblink The people of Pou Maumahara, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 21 October 2016, 26 January 2018, 17 February 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180217071426weblink">weblink live, and in 2017, the Museum opened Pou Kanohi: New Zealand at War, a new permanent exhibition designed "to tell young people about the country's experiences of WWI".NEWS,weblink War stories told for a new generation, Christian, Dionne, 10 October 2017, The New Zealand Herald, 10 February 2022, 10 February 2022,weblink live, Parts of the museum, as well as the Cenotaph and its surrounding consecrated grounds (Court of Honour) in front of the Museum, also serve as a war memorial, mainly to those who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. There are two "Halls of Memory" within the museum, whose walls, together with a number of additional marble slabs, list the names of all known New Zealand soldiers from the Auckland Region killed in major conflicts during the 20th century.WEB,weblink World War One Hall of Memories, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, The top floor of the Museum is dedicated to the memory of fallen soldiers and included within the war memorial galleries is the spectacular World War One Hall of Memories., 30 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180130174457weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Galleries: Top floor, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 27 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180127233239weblink">weblink live, RSA representatives have noted that the Cenotaph area is in need of renovation, and also would like measures put in place that ensure the area is treated with more respect by people using the park or visiting the museum. Auckland City was considering replacement the old concrete paving with granite and basalt pavers.NEWS,weblink RSA and museum seek Cenotaph upgrade, Orsman, Bernard, 2 January 2006, The New Zealand Herald, 10 February 2022, 10 February 2022,weblink live, This was apparently decided against, possibly for cost reasons. The city has however conducted substantial remedial works, to improve the condition of the existing Court of Honour, including repairs to and lighting of the steps, uplighting of the Cenotaph, as well as general cleaning and a new interpretive engraving provided by the Auckland RSA.WEB,weblink Museum and Cenotaph master plan, Auckland City Council, 26 March 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081015234224weblink">weblink 15 October 2008, In early 2010, Auckland City Council started work in front of the Court of Honour, up to then taken up by a smaller car park. The area was changed to provide a new water feature, and walkways and other infrastructure were also upgraded. Work around the court was completed in mid-2010.WEB,weblink Museum upgrade begins, 14 February 2010, City Scene, Auckland City Council, 15 February 2010, {{dead link|date=October 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Governance

(File:Roger Lins Royal Society Auckland 2023 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Roger Lins in 2023)The Museum is governed by a trust board,WEB,weblink About Us: Taumata-ā-Iwi, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 30 January 2018, 27 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180127201055weblink">weblink dead, and has an Executive Management Team headed by a director.WEB,weblink Executive Team and Trust Board, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 30 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180130110738weblink">weblink live, The board's duties, functions and powers, and its responsibilities to ten statutory objectives are set out in the Auckland War Memorial Museum Act 1996.WEB,weblink Auckland War Memorial Museum Act 1996, New Zealand Legislation, Parliamentary Counsel Office, en-NZ, 26 January 2018, 31 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180131001116weblink">weblink live, Paramount amongst its responsibilities is the trusteeship and guardianship of the Museum and its extensive collections of treasures and scientific materials.The Act also tasks the Board with the appointment of a Māori Committee of no less than five members, known as the Taumata-ā-Iwi. The Taumata-ā-Iwi is founded upon the principle of mana whenua (customary authority of and over ancestral land), and comprises Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Pāoa and Tainui.WEB,weblink Taumata-ā-Iwi Kaupapa, Auckland War Memorial Museum, mi, 26 January 2018, 27 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180127201108weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Taumata-ā-Iwi Guiding Principles, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 26 January 2018, 30 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180130111347weblink">weblink live,  The committee is "responsible for the provision of advice and assistance to the Trust Board in a series of matters as set out in the Act," including matters provided for in the Treaty of Waitangi.{{Rp||at= § 16 (8)}} The Act further "empowers the Taumata-ā-Iwi to give advice on all matters of Māori protocol within the Museum and between the Museum and Māori people at large",WEB,weblink Taumata-ā-Iwi: Governance principles, Auckland War Memorial Museum, 30 January 2018, 27 January 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180127201103weblink">weblink dead, {{Rp||at=Principle I|quote=The Auckland War Memorial Museum Act 1996 empowers the Taumata-ā-Iwi to give advice on all matters of Māori protocol within the Museum and between the Museum and Māori people at large. Museum policies will reflect the aspirations of both Treaty partners by acknowledging that existing and proposed policies will be reviewed by the Taumata-ā-Iwi, and recommendations to the Auckland Museum Trust Board will be made accordingly.}} codified in the committee's governance principles as "the right to advise".The Auckland Museum Institute has a role in the governance of Auckland Museum by appointing four members to the Museum Trust Board. The institute was established in 1867 and is an independent voluntary run organisation. It is the Auckland branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi and also does public outreach and education.WEB, History of the Auckland Museum Institute,weblink Auckland War Memorial Museum, 10 February 2022, 27 January 2022,weblink live, Council members listed for 2022/2023 are: Dr Roger Lins (President), Marilyn Kohlhase (Vice President), Marguerite Durling, Phil Lascelles, Angela Lassig, Rae Nield, Daniel Pouwels, Alison Preston (Treasurer) and Moth Sutherland-Tupp.

Secretaries, curators and directors

• 1852–1857: John Alexander Smith
• 1857–1859: George Eliott Eliott
• 1859–1864: Elwin Brodie Dickson
• 1864–1865: E. Watkins
• 1865–1867: Thomas Francis Winstanley
• 1867–1869: Frederick Wollaston Hutton {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FGS}}
• 1869–1873: Thomas Kirk
• 1874–1923: Thomas Frederick Cheeseman
• 1924–1964: Sir Gilbert Archey {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CBE|FRSNZ}}
• 1964–1979: Evan Graham Turbott {{post-nominals|country=NZL|QSO}}
• 1979–1993: Graham Stuart Park
• 1994–2007: Rodney Wilson {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CNZM}}
• 2007–2010: Vanda Vitali
• 2010–2011: Sir Don McKinnon {{post-nominals|country=NZL|ONZ|GCVO}}
• 2011–2016: Roy Clare {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE}}
• 2017–2023: David Gaimster
• 2023–present: David Reeves

Q, Q58623224, NEWS, The Auckland Museum, The New-Zealander, 15, 1331, 19 January 1859, 3,weblink Papers Past, 18 April 2023, 18 April 2023,weblink live, JOURNAL, Springer, Randal, The Clerical Botanist: Elwin Brodie Dickson, Wellington Botanical Society Bulletin, 48, 2002, Wellington Botanical Society, Wellington, 51–68,weblink 18 April 2023, 18 April 2023,weblink live, NEWS, The Daily Southern Cross, 21, 2503, 28 July 1865, 4,weblink Papers Past, 18 April 2023, 18 April 2023,weblink live, NEWS, The Auckland Museum, The New Zealand Herald, 4, 1112, 7 June 1867, 1,weblink 12 April 2023, 14 April 2023,weblink live, {{citation |author=Auckland War Memorial Museum |title=Honours Board: "Directors of Auckland Museum, Auckland Institute and Museum, Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Auckland War Memorial Museum" (1852–), Whaowhia Room, Auckland Museum |date=26 January 2018 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Directors_of-Auckland_Museum-board.jpg |access-date=23 April 2019 |archive-date=11 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011073526weblink |url-status=live }}PRESS RELEASE, 21 August 2023, Auckland Museum Appoints New Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive, Scoop News,weblink 21 August 2023, 21 August 2023,weblink live,

Controversies

Hillary estate

The papers and memorabilia of the late Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest, are held in the Museum. In 2009, the museum was involved in legal action with Hillary's children, Peter and Sarah Hillary, over publishing rights to his papers.NEWS,weblink Museum backs chief over Hillary row, Davison, Isaac, 18 May 2009, The New Zealand Herald, 10 February 2022, 10 February 2022,weblink live, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key offered to mediate, and his offer was accepted and the matter resolved amicably.NEWS,weblink Key's involvement solved dispute – Peter Hillary, 20 July 2009, The New Zealand Herald, 10 February 2022, 10 February 2022,weblink live, WEB,weblink Issued on behalf of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and Peter and Sarah Hillary, New Zealand Government, 20 July 2009, Board of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Peter, Hillary, Peter Hillary, Sarah, Hillary,weblink 18 September 2017, In 2013 the Sir Edmund Hillary Archive was registered on the UNESCO New Zealand Memory of the World.

Vitali tenure

The appointment and activities of Vanda Vitali, a Canadian citizen who served as Director from 2007 until her resignation in 2010, saw a number of highly disputed changes in the museum, with numerous staff being made redundant, or having to reapply for their positions. The museum also charged a controversial "donation" for entry (while still claiming to provide free entry), despite a museum levy being part of the regional rates.NEWS,weblink Don't mess with an historic name, Booth, Pat, 16 March 2010, Manukau Courier, Stuff (website), Stuff, 10 February 2022, 10 February 2022,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20220210053601weblink">weblink live, Vitali was roundly criticised for many of her actions by a number of former staff and public figures, such as editorialist Pat Booth, who accused her of downplaying the "War Memorial" element of the museum name and function, as well as by former finance head of the museum, Jon Cowan, who in a letter to the New Zealand Herald argued after her resignation that she was responsible for a significant fall in visitor numbers and visitor satisfaction during her tenure. He also claimed that these statistics had ceased to be published in the second year of Vitali's work at the museum, given the clear negative trends of her initial year.NEWS, Reader's Forum, Cowan, John, 25 March 2010, Museum statistics – letter to the editor in The New Zealand Herald, A10,

2023 Israel-Hamas War

On 15 October 2023, the museum staged a light display in the colours of the flag of Israel to express solidarity with Israel and civilians affected by Hamas' attack on the country on 7 October. In response, about 100 Palestinian supporters gathered outside the museum and covered the lights with jackets and flags. They had a verbal altercation with a group of pro-Israel supporters. Local pro-Palestinian advocates including Alternative Jewish Voices co-founder Marilyn Garson, Janfrie Wakim, and Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) leader John Minto criticised the museum's light display as partisan and "insensitive" to Palestinians. Museum chief executive David Reeves subsequently issued a statement apologizing "for the distress and hurt caused to members of our community." Reeve's apology was criticised by New Zealand Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses, who described the protest as "extremely disappointing" and the museum's apology as a "betrayal".NEWS, Israel-Palestine conflict: Calls for Auckland Museum to apologise for supporting Israel,weblink 25 October 2023, Radio New Zealand, 16 October 2023,weblink 21 October 2023, live, NEWS, Auckland Museum apologises for lighting up in support of Israel,weblink 25 October 2023, The New Zealand Herald, 16 October 2023,weblink 23 October 2023, live, NEWS, Auckland Museum sorry for 'distress and hurt' after lighting up for Israel,weblink 25 October 2023, 1 News, TVNZ, 16 October 2023,weblink 16 October 2023, live,

Cancelled Fantastic Beast exhibition

In December 2023, the online Auckland-based news publication The Spinoff reported that the War Memorial Museum had cancelled plans to host a Fantastic Beasts exhibit due to several staff members expressing concerns to the management about author J.K. Rowling's views on transgender people and rights. The decision was also motivated by the previous controversy surrounding British anti-transgender activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull's visit to Auckland in March 2023.NEWS, Greive, Duncan, Why Auckland Museum pulled the pin on hosting a hit Harry Potter exhibition,weblink 25 December 2023, The Spinoff, 13 December 2023,weblink 19 December 2023, The Museum attracted criticism from broadcaster Sean Plunket, who accused the Museum management of appeasing the rainbow community and practising "cancel culture".AV MEDIA, Sean Plunket, 14 December 2023, Sean Plunket: Auckland Museum declines mega Harry Potter exhibit to keep its rainbow tick, podcast,weblink 25 December 2023, The Platform (radio station), The Platform,

Notes

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References

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External links

{{Commons category-inline|Auckland War Memorial Museum}}

• {{officialwebsite}}

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