13 August 2013
Te Papa’s Board takes action to protect national collections
The Board of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa has prioritised the need to reduce seismic risk to the National
Collections by seeking an additional location to house some of the collections.
Currently all of the National Collections are either displayed or stored in Wellington. By housing parts of its
non-displayed and reference collections in another region, the risk of natural hazards to the collections will be
significantly reduced through geographical spread.
Te Papa Chief Executive Michael Houlihan says the Board has taken this decision based on its statutory responsibilities
for the care and preservation of the National Collections. This will also present an opportunity to make the taonga
(treasures) available to more New Zealanders in more places.
The Board has not yet made any decision as to the location. The Museum is actively seeking a suitable location, which
will also take into account the opportunities for increasing public access to the collections, creating educational
experiences, and meeting the needs of researchers.
There has also been no decision as to which parts of the collections might be moved. This decision will only follow once
a location is secured, and will be fully informed by advice and consultation with expert staff and external
stakeholders.
“Ensuring the safety of the national collections is a high priority for Te Papa. The importance of this has been
highlighted by the recent earthquakes in Wellington. GNS Science has been commissioned to scope locations that offer
reduced risk from natural hazards. Considerations such as access for the public and researchers must be taken into
account, in addition to obtaining or constructing a museum standard building with convenient transport links,” said
Michael Houlihan.
“The Board is mindful of its accountability to the Nation for the Nation’s collections, and will be working with due
care and in consultation to ensure the preservation of these taonga (treasures) for future generations.”
ENDS