About our Collection
Since 1852, Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira has developed and cared for its collection, supporting research, documentation, interpretation and public access and connecting people with collections and knowledge. Today, the collection connects Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland with Aotearoa, the Pacific and the wider world. They encompass the natural sciences, human history, documentary heritage and military history, supporting research, learning, exhibitions and commemoration. The collection and the knowledge associated with it continue to develop through research, documentation and relationships with iwi, hapū, communities, researchers and the public.
The collection sits within four broad areas:
Natural Sciences: botany, entomology, land vertebrates, marine biology, geology and palaeontology.
Human History: Taonga Māori, Pacific, archaeology, social history, war history, applied arts and design, and world collections.
Documentary Heritage: manuscripts and archives, maps, photographs and pictorial collections, ephemera, books and publications, serials and newspapers.
Online Cenotaph: the Museum’s biographical database and living memorial documenting New Zealanders who have served their country in military conflict.
Caring for and developing the collection brings together specialist knowledge, relationships and practical care. Curators, collection managers, conservators, librarians, archivists, scientists, photographers and other specialists work with iwi, hapū, communities and other knowledge holders to care for collections and deepen understanding of them.
Collection development is guided by the Museum’s Collection Development Plan and collecting priorities. New acquisitions are considered in relation to their significance, relevance to the collection, cultural responsibilities, research and interpretive value, and requirements for long-term care and access.
Documentation is an ongoing process, with records created and enriched as research, relationships and contributions bring together new knowledge about people, places, species, histories, provenance and connections.
Collection care includes conservation, documentation, condition assessment, storage and collection management.
Care also shapes how taonga, objects, specimens, records and their associated knowledge are accessed and shared. The Museum works to increase access while recognising cultural responsibilities and the authority of communities connected to collections.
The Museum provides access to its collection onsite and online for the people and communities of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, researchers, and audiences throughout Aotearoa and internationally.
Much of the collection can be searched through Collections Online, while Online Cenotaph provides access to information about New Zealand military service and commemoration. Collection records, images and data are continually created and enriched through documentation, digitisation, research and public contribution.
Research Library Te Pātaka Mātāpuna provides access to the documentary heritage collection and research resources. Researchers can also arrange access to collection material held in storage.
Our enquiry service helps people with questions about the Museum’s collection and connects enquirers with relevant information and specialist expertise.
Many collection images can be downloaded and reused directly from Collections Online, while other images can be requested via an image order.
The Museum also lends taonga, objects and specimens for exhibitions and research, extending access to collections beyond the Museum.
Collection related images and data are also shared through digital collection partnerships, extending access to the collections through other platforms and organisations.
Research is central to understanding the collection and its wider significance. The collection provides evidence for research and inspire new questions across the humanities, natural sciences and museum practice.
Museum staff undertake and support research drawing on the collection and specialist expertise. This can identify and describe species, people, places and histories; investigate provenance and relationships; and contribute new perspectives and knowledge to existing collection records.
Knowledge is also developed through relationships and collaboration. The Museum works with iwi, hapū, communities, researchers, universities, museums and other organisations in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, throughout Aotearoa, the Pacific and internationally. These relationships contribute to how the collection is understood, documented, cared for and shared.
The Museum supports external researchers, students and others to work with the collection and specialist staff. Research and knowledge are shared through collection records, exhibitions, digital content and publications, including Papahou: Records of the Auckland Museum, the Museum’s peer-reviewed research journal.
Have an object you’d like to donate to Auckland Museum? Discover what we collect, how donations are assessed and how to submit an offer for consideration.
Planning an exhibition and interested in borrowing objects from Auckland Museum’s collections? Learn more about our loan application process, borrower eligibility, required documentation, timeframes, and borrower responsibilities.
The Museum frequently receives unsolicited objects from members of the public as potential donations to the Museum’s collection. The Museum is very grateful for the public support and engagement demonstrated by these collection donations. Consequently, the Museum has carefully reviewed unsolicited objects we’ve been given, and identified a number which do not meet the criteria set out in our Collection Development Plan. In some cases, objects came into our possession without contact information about the depositor, or contact with this person has been lost subsequently.
This page will periodically be updated with unsolicited donations in accordance with the Unsolicited Goods and Services Act (1975).
If you wish to discuss any of the items listed further, please feel free to contact our team at info@aucklandmuseum.com.
Please find below the form to register Taonga Tūturu under the Protected Objects Act 1975.
Taonga tūturu are protected objects that whakapapa to Te Ao Māori and embody mana, whakapapa, and mauri. Taonga tūturu can take many forms, from 800-year-old waka to mid-20th century weaving and whakairo. Privately owned taonga tūturu, found or in private ownership before 1 April 1976, must have a certificate of examination (‘Y’ registration) from an authorised museum to be sold through a licenced dealer or auctioneer.
Taonga tūturu found on or after 1 April 1976 cannot be traded and should be notified to Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. For any Taonga tūturu found on or after 1 April 1976 please email taonga@mch.govt.nz, please see the Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage website for more information.
Auckland Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira is one of four museums in Aotearoa able to register taonga tūturu under the Protected Objects Act 1975 on behalf of the Manatū Taonga Ministry of Culture and Heritage. The others are the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Canterbury Museum and Otago Museum. If you wish to request examination and registration of taonga by Auckland Museum, please fill out this form.
If you are an auction house or have more than 3 taonga to register, please complete the details for the first taonga/objects you would like registered below and attach details of the remaining list by completing the spreadsheet below
Please note there will be a charge for this service.
For further information on how to register as a collector or dealer, please see here.