The Museum of New Zealand
Te Papa (Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa) is New Zealand's Crown entity national museum in Wellington, housing 2 million+ objects across art, natural history, mātauranga Māori, and Pacific cultures, serving NZ residents (free) and international visitors (NZ$35) with exhibitions, education, repatriation, and venue services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersWellington, New Zealand
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Museum of New Zealand does
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (trading as Te Papa) is New Zealand's statutory national museum, constituted as a Crown entity under the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. The institution in its current form opened in 1998 through the merger of the National Art Gallery and the National Museum, with origins tracing to the 1865 Colonial Museum. Headquartered at a seismically engineered waterfront building at 55 Cable Street, Wellington, with a secondary Tory Street research and digitization facility, Te Papa holds custody of more than 2 million physical objects spanning art, natural history, New Zealand histories, mātauranga Māori, and Pacific cultures. The core technology asset is the Collections Online database — a publicly accessible digital catalog of over 1 million artworks, objects, and specimens backed by a developer-facing Collections API — alongside Te Papa Huia, a digital-museum platform delivering editorial, video, and interactive content.
The business model is a hybrid public-sector / earned-revenue structure. Government appropriation is the primary funding pillar; variable revenue is generated from NZ$35 international visitor admission (free for New Zealanders, Pacific Island residents, and children under 16), guided tours starting at NZ$50, the Friends of Te Papa membership programme, venue hire including management of the Tākina Convention and Exhibition Centre, retail (Te Papa Store), café operations, corporate partnerships, and donations. Te Papa serves six distinct customer segments: NZ residents (free, primary), international visitors (paid, primary), schools and educators, researchers and academics, the broader museum sector (via National Services Te Paerangi), and corporate/event clients. It also operates the government-mandated Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme, which has returned close to 850 ancestral remains.
The institution pursues an active content and capital pipeline, with flagship exhibitions scheduled through 2026-2027, a NZ$42.9 million Budget 2022 allocation for a new natural history storage and research facility, and a digital distribution footprint spanning at least ten external platforms including Google Arts & Culture, DigitalNZ, GBIF, Artstor, Wikimedia Commons, and Unsplash. Te Papa is led by Chief Executive Courtney Johnston with Christopher Swasbrook as Board Chair and employs 251-500 staff. It is TripAdvisor's #1 attraction in Aotearoa New Zealand (2025 Travellers' Choice — Best of the Best) and reports a 98% visitor satisfaction rating.
The Museum of New Zealand firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Museum of New Zealand
- Legal name
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
- Website
- https://tepapa.govt.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Te Papa (Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa) is New Zealand's Crown entity national museum in Wellington, housing 2 million+ objects across art, natural history, mātauranga Māori, and Pacific cultures, serving NZ residents (free) and international visitors (NZ$35) with exhibitions, education, repatriation, and venue services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Museum of New Zealand industry classification
Industry- Product category
- National Museum & Cultural Heritage Services
- NAICS
- Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Natural History Museums (THAJADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Indigenous & Community Cultural Institutions (THAJADAK)
Keywords
Where The Museum of New Zealand is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wellington
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Museum of New Zealand business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Government Funding: Te Papa receives government funding from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and other government sources as the national museum of New Zealand.
- International Visitor Admission: International visitors aged 16+ pay NZ$35 for museum entry, valid for 48 hours. Children under 16 enter free. This ticket supports care for over 2 million collection items.
- Membership Program (Friends of Te Papa): The museum offers a membership programme providing benefits including invitations to exhibition previews and private viewings.
- Guided Tours: Paid guided tours including Gallipoli tours (from $50), Art Narratives Tour, Māori Highlights Tour, and specialized tours in multiple languages.
- Venue Hire and Events: Te Papa Venues offers light-filled, flexible event spaces for conferences, meetings, weddings, and school balls. The team also manages Tākina, Wellington's Convention and Exhibition Centre. All event revenue is reinvested into Te Papa's exhibitions, collections, and cultural work.
- Donations and Support: The museum accepts donations and bequests from the public, with options to support through the Foundation or become patrons.
- Retail Store and Cafe: Te Papa Store offers curated products inspired by Aotearoa's art, culture, and natural environment. The museum operates two cafes: Te Papa Cafe (Level 1) and Espresso (Level 4), with food waste donated to Kaibosh charity.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | International Visitor Entry |
| Freemium | Monthly | New Zealand Resident Entry |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Guided Tours |
| Subscription | Annual | Friends of Te Papa Membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Museum of New Zealand product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Te Papa operates New Zealand's national museum at 55 Cable Street, Wellington, housing over two million objects across art, natural history, New Zealand histories, mÄtauranga MÄori, and Pacific cultures. Its core offering is free public access to permanent and touring exhibitions, complemented by a digitised Collections Online database of 1,000,000+ items, guided tours, venue hire, retail, cafes, learning programmes, repatriation services, and support to the wider museum sector via National Services Te Paerangi.
Product overview
Te Papa (Museum of New Zealand) operates as a multi-platform cultural institution combining a physical national museum in Wellington with extensive digital offerings. The core offerings include the physical museum housing over two million objects, Collections Online (database of 1,000,000+ items), and Te Papa Huia (Digital Museum). Supporting services include guided tours, educational programmes through Hīnātore Learning Lab, event venues, retail stores, cafes, the Te Papa Press publishing division, and National Services Te Paerangi supporting the wider museum sector. The Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme handles cultural heritage returns. Digital outreach extends through partnerships with platforms including Google Arts & Culture, DigitalNZ, GBIF, and Wikimedia Commons. Recent exhibitions include Slow Burn: Women and Photography and upcoming He Toi Whakairo – The Art of Māori Carving (opening August 2026).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Te Papa Museums (Physical Museum Experience) New Zealand's national museum in Wellington housing over two million objects across art, natural history, New Zealand histories, mÄtauranga MÄori, and Pacific cultures; free for NZ residents, NZ$35 for international visitors aged 16+.
- Guided Tours Expert-led tours including Gallipoli tours, MÄori Highlights Tour, Introducing Te Papa Tour, Mandarin-language tours, and Art Narratives Tour from $50 per person.
- Exhibitions (Permanent and Rotating)
Quantifiable outcome
- 2 million+ objects in the collection
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Museum of New Zealand
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
The Museum of New Zealand technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature2 records
The Museum of New Zealand partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered founding partner and core.
- Wellington City Council (Me Heke ki Pōneke)founding partnerWellington City Council is listed as one of Te Papa's founding partners, supporting the national museum's operations and cultural mission.
- Manatū Taonga, Ministry for Culture and Heritagefounding partnerThe Ministry for Culture and Heritage is a founding partner of Te Papa, providing government support for the national museum.
- Earth Sciences New Zealand (GNS Science)founding partnerGNS Science (Earth Sciences New Zealand) is a founding partner, supporting research collaboration in natural sciences and earth sciences.
- Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Akefounding partnerNatural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake is a founding partner, collaborating on exhibitions about natural hazards awareness such as 'Rūaumoko: Restless land' touring exhibition.
- Antarctic Heritage TrustcoreAntarctic Heritage Trust and Te Papa collaborated to offer the Scott's Discovery Hut VR Experience, allowing visitors to explore Antarctica through virtual reality technology.
- NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research)coreTe Papa and NIWA combined expertise to create the 'Mawhiti Tino Rawe | Clever Crustaceans' touring exhibition, bringing together scientists and museum expertise.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Museum of New Zealand competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Auckland War Memorial Museum: New Zealand's other major metropolitan museum, operating a comparable multi-disciplinary collection (natural history, Māori taonga, Pacific cultures, military history) with comparable education, exhibition, and visitor services. Directly comparable as a large-scale NZ cultural institution competing for tourists and government programming support.
- Australian Museum: Sydney-based national natural history and cultural institution with comparable mandate across natural sciences, indigenous collections (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander), and cultural heritage. Closest international analogue in scope, government ownership model, and bicultural/institutional mission.
- National Museum of Australia: Australia's national museum in Canberra with a similar national-scale mandate covering Australian history, indigenous cultures, and cultural heritage. Comparable as a government-funded national museum with permanent exhibitions, touring programs, and research functions.
Regional players
- Canterbury Museum: Christchurch-based regional NZ museum with comparable natural history, Māori, and Antarctic collections (including strong Antarctic exploration exhibits). Competes for visitor attention within New Zealand and offers a comparable operational scale.
- Otago Museum: Dunedin-based NZ regional museum with natural history, Māori, and Pacific cultural collections, including a major planetarium and discovery centre. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary NZ regional museum serving both residents and tourists.
- Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science, and History: Palmerston North regional museum integrating art, science, and history, including Māori collections. Comparable as a NZ regional museum with similar mixed-discipline curatorial approach but smaller scale than Te Papa.
Broad incumbents
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Global benchmark natural history museum with similar collection scope, research mandate, and digital outreach (including Google Arts & Culture partnerships). Much larger scale; useful for understanding upper-bound operational scope and digital distribution strategies.
- Powerhouse Museum (Sydney): Sydney-based Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences with comparable multi-disciplinary curatorial approach combining design, technology, science, and cultural collections. Comparable institution at smaller scale, focused on applied and natural sciences.
- National Gallery of Australia: Canberra-based national visual arts institution with comparable government funding model, free general admission, and supplementary programs (venue hire, retail, tours). Comparable as a neighboring national cultural institution with similar go-to-market approach, though focused on art rather than natural history.
Emerging players
- Museum of Anthropology at UBC: Canadian university museum with world-renowned Pacific Northwest indigenous collections and a curatorial philosophy centered on indigenous partnership. Highly comparable to Te Papa's bicultural model and Pacific collections focus, albeit at much smaller institutional scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Museum of New Zealand social profiles
Digital presenceThe Museum of New Zealand financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Museum of New Zealand leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Museum of New Zealand subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
The Museum of New Zealand funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Museum of New Zealand M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Museum of New Zealand
What does The Museum of New Zealand do?
Te Papa operates New Zealand's national museum at 55 Cable Street, Wellington, housing over two million objects across art, natural history, New Zealand histories, mÄtauranga MÄori, and Pacific cultures. Its core offering is free public access to permanent and touring exhibitions, complemented by a digitised Collections Online database of 1,000,000+ items, guided tours, venue hire, retail, cafes, learning programmes, repatriation services, and support to the wider museum sector via National Services Te Paerangi.
Is The Museum of New Zealand a public or private company?
The Museum of New Zealand is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was The Museum of New Zealand founded?
The Museum of New Zealand was founded in 1998. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is The Museum of New Zealand based?
The Museum of New Zealand is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does The Museum of New Zealand make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are international Visitor Admission, membership Program (Friends of Te Papa), guided Tours, venue Hire and Events, donations and Support and retail Store and Cafe.
Who are The Museum of New Zealand's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Auckland War Memorial Museum, Australian Museum and National Museum of Australia. Regional players are Canterbury Museum, Otago Museum and Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science, and History. Broad incumbents are Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Powerhouse Museum (Sydney) and National Gallery of Australia. Museum of Anthropology at UBC is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Museum of New Zealand have an API?
Yes. Te Papa offers a Collections API that provides data about their collections for use in research, creative work, or websites. The Collections Online database contains information on over 1,000,000 artworks, objects, and specimens from Te Papa's collections.
What industry is The Museum of New Zealand in?
The Museum of New Zealand's product category is National Museum & Cultural Heritage Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAC, Natural History Museums, with a secondary code of THAJADAK, Indigenous & Community Cultural Institutions. Its NAICS code is 712110.