Auckland Museum is committed to sharing our collections so that more communities can discover, engage and be inspired by our objects and their stories.  

The following information will help you gather everything you need to put in an application to borrow taonga and other objects from the Auckland Museum.

Loans for research purposes, for example: from our natural science collections, are handled via a separate process by the relevant Curator or Collection Manager.

When to apply

Due to the large number of loan requests received by Auckland Museum, please send a request to borrow objects at least six months prior to the proposed start of the loan period. More advance notice may be needed if the request is of a complex nature and/or you require a large number of objects.

The process

1. Identify the collection objects you would like to borrow

  • By contacting a Curator or Collection Manager

  • You will need to know the name and Auckland Museum object number of each of the objects you would like to borrow. The Curator or Collection Manager can help you with this

2. What you will need to provide with your request

  • Museum object numbers for the collection items you wish to borrow

  • A facilities report

  • For touring exhibitions: an itinerary of the tour and facilities report for all venues

  • A letter of support from the appropriate iwi if you wish to borrow provenanced taonga Māori

3.  To make your request please send a formal letter to the Director of Auckland Museum, David Reeves

This letter must include:

  • Title of the exhibition

  • Dates of the exhibition

  • Venue

  • List of the collection objects

  • Brief description of the exhibition and the significance of the collection objects to the exhibition

  • Full contact information

If you would like to borrow provenanced taonga Māori, please also include the letter of support from appropriate iwi.

4.  Send the following information to the Loans Officer

  • A copy of the formal request letter

  • Notification of the earliest dates that you would like to receive the object. This helps us to plan ahead

  • Facilities report

  • For touring exhibitions, an itinerary of the tour and facilities reports for all venues

All loan requests are passed through an internal assessment process and considered by Curators, Conservators, Collection Managers, and if necessary the Taumata-ā-Iwi and the Auckland Museum Trust Board.

Staff consider the following criteria when making the assessment:

  • Nature of the proposed exhibition, venue(s), audience and length of loan

  • Timeliness of the request  

  • Nature and condition of the collection object(s) requested

  • Current commitments to Auckland Museum exhibitions or existing loan requests

  • Auckland Museum’s ability to resource the loan request

  • Considerations around iwi permission and other cultural sensitivities

We will respond to requests for loan within 90 days.

Submit your loan request to:

David Reeves
Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive
Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira
Private Bag 92018
Victoria Street West
Auckland 1142

Carla Purdue
Loans Officer
Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira
Private Bag 92018
Victoria Street West
Auckland 1142
Email: cpurdue@aucklandmuseum.com

Borrower's responsibilities

Borrowers are responsible for all costs associated with the loan. This will likely include:

  • Packing materials including crate construction if necessary

  • Transportation to and from venues

  • Insurance (all-risk, wall to wall coverage in transit and in-situ)

  • Courier costs (if required)

  • Customs clearance and documentation (if travelling overseas)

  • Appropriate display mounts

These costs do not include Auckland Museum staff time. There is no administrative fee for a loan request, but if any work required to service the loan needs to be contracted out, the Borrower will be responsible for the costs for this.

If the loan request is approved, the Borrower will be notified and sent a formal loan agreement which outlines the conditions of the loan. Once both parties have agreed on the terms and conditions, the loan agreement will be signed prior to the dispatch of the objects.