Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand Museum Exchanges

Exchanges between Te Papa and international museums since 2012 include:

• three staff from the Malaysia Department of Museums undertook a week-long study tour of Te Papa, focusing on audience engagement, collections management and conservation. Te Papa also organised visits for the group to regional museums as part of their training
• Dr Aymeric Hermann (University of French Polynesia), an archaeologist and expert of Central Polynesia stone tools, spent time with two Te Papa curators exploring Māori Taonga and Polynesian stone tools. Te Papa extended an invitation to Dr Hermann to return to Te Papa in the course of his ongoing research on Polynesian history and heritage
• Te Papa is developing relationships with institutes in Indonesia, Singapore and the Cook Islands for cultural, exhibition and expert exchanges in the future
• Te Papa exhibited Kura Pounamu and Brian Brake: Lens on China and New Zealand at the National Museum of China in 2012. The project was the result of an agreement signed between the two museums to promote partnerships and opportunities for cultural exchange and cultural diplomacy. The Kura Pounamu exhibition continued to tour to a further four prominent museums throughout China over a period of two years. Te Papa hosted two exhibitions from the National Museum of China in 2014: Throne of Emperors and Shi Lu
• Te Papa exhibited E Tu Ake in Mexico in 2012 as the foundation for the first reciprocal exchange between Te Papa and the Mexican government. E Tu Ake focused on the Māori journey of self-determination and struggle for their indigenous rights, from the past through to the present day. The Aztec exhibition Conquest and Glory was shown at Te Papa 2014 and toured to two venues in Australia in partnership with Te Papa
• Te Papa exhibited Whales Tohora in eight US and Canadian cities in 2012-16. Public lectures and programmes were presented by US and Canadian specialists as well as by Te Papa staff and Iwi representatives.