Far from home: contextualising Te Papa’s Australian First Nations collection

In 2022, a collections-survey project commenced at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa), to explore and contextualise the museum’s Australian First Nations collection. Although such collections are held in Aotearoa New Zealand metropolitan museums (including in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin), they have been little considered. This research project considers the potential of a comparative trans-Tasman approach to research into the collection and display of material deemed ethnographic by colonial era collectors in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Local comparisons of histories of display and collection in Australasia will be explored, as will inter-colonial networks of material and cultural exchange that draw attention to historic connections between Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Significantly, this is an important initial survey to explore how the Australian First Nations collections came to Te Papa, with the aim of raising awareness of the collection and providing a basis for future community engagement.