Nic Rawlence • Nov 14, 2018 •
Museums are cathedrals of science, but they are under threat worldwide as part of a malaise of undervaluing museum collections and the field of taxonomy, the science of naming biodiversity. The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the latest example. Te Papa confirmed a restructure in July, following leaked reports. Facing … Read More
Nic Rawlence • Jul 23, 2018 •
In an unassuming building at the top of Tory Street in Wellington lies buried treasure: the remains of a lost world that rivals Smaug’s hoard, but the equivalent of the five armies is closing in. The proposed restructure of our national museum means we are in danger of losing the key to unlocking the secrets these biological taonga hold. Read More
Jean Balchin • Jan 11, 2018 •
The fossilised remains of a giant burrowing bat that lived in our fine land of New Zealand millions of years ago have been found by a UNSW Sydney-led international team of scientists. Near the town of St Bathans in Central Otago on the South Island was found teeth and bones of the extinct bat. The remains were recovered from 9 … Read More
Guest Author • Jul 20, 2017 •
Marianne Nyegaard, Murdoch University Sunfish are famous for looking odd. They are the largest bony fish in the world, can grow to over 3 metres in length and weigh up to 2 tonnes, and look a little bit like a suitcase with wings. But when I began my PhD doing population studies on sunfish off Bali in … Read More
Peter Griffin • Apr 10, 2017 •
It was after closing time and the museum was quiet and empty, except for a small group of us who had been allowed into the Bug Lab exhibition after hours for a self-guided tour. In the hushed gloom of the exhibition I wandered among the exhibits and stopped in front of a screen explaining the reproductive habits of the … Read More
Lynley Hargreaves • Mar 08, 2017 •
Dr Simon Nathan The human side of James Hector, the dominant scientist of nineteenth century New Zealand, long lay hidden in the illegible scrawl of Hector’s handwriting. Then Dr Simon Nathan began writing a biography of the man who established the museum that became Te Papa and the institute that became the Royal Society of New Zealand. In making … Read More
Peter Kerr • Jun 03, 2014 •
Anyone that’s been around young children will appreciate there’s a heck of a difference between a one year old and a two year old. A similar comparison is valid with Lightning Lab II, which last week had nine of … Continue reading → … Read More
Guest Author • Apr 11, 2013 •
From Alison Ballance, blogger for the Three Kings Islands Marine Expedition. Many people know the Three Kings islands as the site of the Elingamite wreck, and for over a hundred years treasure hunters have flocked here in search of gold and silver. But for the scientists of the Three Kings Islands Marine Expedition these islands hold treasures of … Read More
Peter Kerr • Sep 22, 2011 •
One of the great ironies of the New Zealand economy is that in spite of Knowledge Waves and transformations and biotechnology and any other number of next big things, the powerhouse and backbone has continued to be agriculture and horticulture. … Continue reading → … Read More