View source for Auckland War Memorial Museum

{{Short description|Museum and war memorial in Auckland, New Zealand}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=February 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox museum
| name            = 
| native_name     = Tāmaki Paenga Hira{{efn|group="notes"|name="TPHtranslation"|''Tāmaki Paenga Hira'' means Auckland's memorial to fallen chiefs and their gathered ''[[taonga]]''. ''Tāmaki'' is Auckland, the net of Maki. ''Paenga'' is to ceremonially layout, heap together on a [[marae]], a margin, a chiefly boundary, and a reference to those fallen in battle. ''Hira'' is numerous, abundant, important, of consequence, great.<ref name="AM_FAQ">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/frequently-asked-questions |title=Frequently asked questions |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125001930/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/frequently-asked-questions |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| coordinates     = {{Coord|36|51|37|S|174|46|40|E|display=inline,title}}
| native_name_lang = mi
| image           = Auckland War Memorial Museum Front View 2023.jpg
| alt             = Large neoclassical-style building with a forecourt featuring a Cenotaph on a Court of Honour. Above the front porch of the building is inscribed a funeral oration attributed to the Greek General Pericles, which reads "MCMXIV{{snd}}MCMXVIII / The whole earth is the sepulchre of famous men / They are commemorated not only by columns and inscriptions in their own country / but in foreign lands also; by memorials graven not on stone / but on the hearts of men." A New Zealand flag atop the building is flown at half-mast. Banners hanging between the columns advertise exhibitions about volcanoes, and Charles Darwin.
| caption         = Auckland War Memorial Museum
| logo            = 
| logo_upright    = 
| logo_alt        = 
| logo_caption    = 
| map_type        = 
| former_name     = {{ubl|[[Auckland Institute and Museum]] {{small|(1886–1996)}}|Te Papa Whakahiku (1992–2003){{efn|group="notes"|name="TPWtranslation"|This name was given by the [[Māori Language Commission|Māori Language Commission Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori]] in 1992.<ref name="AM_FAQ" /> Sir [[Hugh Kāwharu]] explained its meaning in his 2001 lecture, "Land and Identity in Tāmaki: a [[Ngāti Whātua]] Perspective": {{blockquote|I feel I should explain at this point that ''Te Papa Whakahiku'' is not a literal translation of "Auckland War Memorial Museum". ''Te Papa'' refers to [[Rangi and Papa|Papatuanuku]], the earth mother, the place where all people will be ultimately buried (in this context, in war cemeteries here or abroad). ''Whakahiku'' means to bring together treasures, a repository, a museum. ''Hiku'' also means the tail of a fish. That is, in the North Island ([[Māui (mythology)|Maui]]'s legendary fish – Te Ika a Maui) the head is regarded as at [[Wellington]] while the tail is at Auckland and all lands to the north: hence "Te Papa Whakahiku".<ref name="Kāwharu_lecture">{{cite speech |title=Land and Identity In Tāmaki: a Ngāti Whātua Perspective |first=Hugh |last=Kāwharu |author-link=Hugh Kāwharu |event=[[Edmund Hillary|Hillary]] Lecture |location=Auckland, New Zealand |institution=Auckland War Memorial Museum |date=2001 |page=10 |url=http://tekakano.aucklandmuseum.com/images/common/landandidentitylecturenotes.pdf |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=2 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102043426/http://tekakano.aucklandmuseum.com/images/common/landandidentitylecturenotes.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>}}}}}}
| established     = {{Start date and age|1852|10|25|df=y}}
| dissolved       = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} -->
| location        = 
| type            = [[Encyclopedic museum|Encyclopaedic]] / universal
| accreditation   = 
| key_holdings    = {{ubl|Hotunui (''[[Wharenui|whare rūnanga]]'')<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collection/object/am_humanhistory-object-33243 |title=Hotunui, Whare Runanga |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130050901/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collection/object/am_humanhistory-object-33243 |url-status=live }}</ref>|Te Toki a Tāpiri (''[[Waka (canoe)|waka taua]]'')<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-582613 |title=Te Toki a Tapiri, waka taua |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-date=19 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119144851/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-582613 |url-status=dead}}</ref>|The [[Edmund Hillary|Sir Edmund Hillary]] Archive<ref name="UNESCO_MoW-NZregister">{{Cite web |url=https://unescomow.nz/inscription/sir-edmund-hillary-archive |title=Sir Edmund Hillary Archive |publisher=[[UNESCO]] [[Memory of the World Programme]] |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=27 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927163550/https://unescomow.nz/inscription/sir-edmund-hillary-archive |url-status=live }}</ref>|Tairua trolling lure<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/topics/tairua-trolling-lure |title=Tairua trolling lure |last1=Furey |first1=Louise |author-link1=Louise Furey |date=2 October 2015 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |quote=Auckland Museum has in the collection a unique tangible link between Māori and the East Polynesian homeland. A fishing lure made from tropical black-lipped pearl shell ([[Pinctada margaritifera]]) was found in a 1964 archaeological excavation at [[Tairua]] on the Coromandel Peninsula. The lure is highly significant because it was made in East Polynesia and brought here, on a [[waka (canoe)|waka]], with the Polynesian settlers of [[Aotearoa]]. […] Despite over 60 years of professional archaeological excavations in New Zealand, the pearl shell lure is the only object from Polynesia to have been found ''in situ'' in an excavation. |archive-date=2 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202201204/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/topics/tairua-trolling-lure |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| collections     = 
| collection_size = {{Format price|4500000}} objects<ref name="AWMM_5Yplan_2017">{{Cite report |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/five-year-plan |title=Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira Five-Year Strategic Plan |date=2017 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |quote=As ''kaitiaki'' (guardians), responsible for caring for more than 4.5 million treasures, we hold the '[[DNA]]' of Auckland. |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=27 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127060840/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/five-year-plan |url-status=live }}</ref>
| visitors        = 859,779 ([[Fiscal year|FY]] 2016–17)<ref name="AM_AR201617">{{Cite Q|Q115692620 |page=3}}</ref>
| founder         = 
| executive_director = 
| director        = David Reeves
| president       = 
| ceo             = 
| chairperson     = [[Richard Bedford (geographer)|Richard Bedford]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about/our-organisation/trust-board |title=Auckland Museum Trust Board |access-date=16 November 2022 |website=Auckland Museum |archive-date=28 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128075827/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about/our-organisation/trust-board |url-status=live }}</ref> <!-- {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CNZM|QSO}} -->
| curator         = 
| architect       = [[Grierson & Aimer]]
| historian       = 
| owner           = 
| embedded = {{designation list|embed=yes|designation1=NZ Category I|designation1_number=94|designation1_date=6 June 1985}}
}}

The '''Auckland War Memorial Museum''' ({{langx|mi|Tāmaki Paenga Hira}}), also known as '''Auckland Museum''', is one of [[New Zealand]]'s most important museums and [[war memorial]]s. Its [[neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] building constructed in the 1920s and 1950s, stands on Observatory Hill,<ref>{{cite news |title=Site of the Museum |work=The New Zealand Herald |volume=55 |issue=16784 |date=26 February 1918 |page=6 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19180226.2.94 |access-date=18 April 2023 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418232238/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19180226.2.94 |url-status=live }}</ref> the remains of a dormant volcano, in the [[Auckland Domain]], near [[Auckland CBD]]. Museum collections concentrate on [[New Zealand history]] (and especially the history of the [[Auckland Region]]), [[natural history]], and [[military history]].

Auckland Museum's collections and exhibits began in 1852. In 1867 Aucklanders formed a learned society—the Auckland Philosophical Society, soon renamed Auckland Institute.<ref>{{Cite Q|Q115613084}}</ref> Within a few years Auckland Museum was transferred to Auckland Institute, thereafter known as [[Auckland Institute and Museum]] until 1996.<ref>{{Cite Q|Q115692436 |page=2}}</ref> Auckland War Memorial Museum was the name of the new building opened in 1929, but since 1996 it has been more commonly used for the institution as well. From 1991 to 2003 the Museum's [[Māori-language|Māori]] name was {{lang|mi|Te Papa Whakahiku}}.<ref>{{cite Q|Q115692466 |pages=11–12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Q|Q115692522 |pages=7–8}}</ref>

== Early history ==
Auckland Museum, established in 1852, was originally housed in a small cottage in Grafton Road, referred to as "Old Government Farm House" or "The Governor's Dairy", near the corner with [[Symonds Street]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Auckland Museum |work=The New-Zealander |volume=8 |issue=682 |date=27 October 1852 |page=2 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZ18521027.2.7 |access-date=13 April 2023 |archive-date=14 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414192630/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZ18521027.2.7 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Auckland Museum and Institute |work=The New Zealand Herald |volume=13 |issue=4544 (Supplement) |date=7 June 1876 |page=1 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18760607.2.28.2 |access-date=13 April 2023 |archive-date=14 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414113610/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18760607.2.28.2 |url-status=live }}</ref> an area now part of the [[University of Auckland]].

The public were first admitted on Sunday 24 October 1852, and every Wednesday and Saturday thereafter.<ref>{{cite news |title=Auckland Institute and Museum |work=The Daily Southern Cross |volume=32 |issue=5194 |date=5 June 1876 |page=2 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18760605.2.12 |via=[[Papers Past]] |access-date=18 April 2023 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418232310/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18760605.2.12 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Auckland Museum |work=The Daily Southern Cross |volume=21 |issue=2504 |date=29 July 1865 |page=5 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18650729.2.16 |via=[[Papers Past]] |access-date=18 April 2023 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418232238/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18650729.2.16 |url-status=live }}</ref> Honorary Secretary [[John Alexander Smith (curator)|John Alexander Smith]] announced that the museum was now open to the public in the newspapers from 29 October that year:

{{blockquote|THE object of this Museum is to collect Specimens illustrative of the Natural History of New Zealand—particularly its [[Geology]], Mineralogy, [[Entomology]], and [[Ornithology]].
Also,
Weapons, Clothing, Implements, &c., &c, of New Zealand, and the Islands of the Pacific.
Any Memento of [[Captain Cook]], or his Voyages will be thankfully accepted.
Also, Coins and Medals (Ancient and Modern.)
In connection with the above, there is an Industrial Museum, to exhibit—Specimens of:
{{block indent|1={{ubl|building & ornamental Stone,
|Timber for various purposes
|Clays, Sands, &c., &c.,
|Dyes—Tanning substances, &c,
|Gums, Resins, &c.,
|Flax, Hemp, Hair, &c., &c.}}}}
As it is desirable that samples of New Zealand Wool should be exhibited—contributors are requested to send samples in duplicate, as soon as convenient, stating—the Sheep, where bred—of what breed—also the age—who contributed by.
Donors are requested to send their contributions directed to the Honorary Secretary, at the Museum, any day in the week, except those open to the public.—Stating—the name of the contributor—where from—who contributed by—date—and any remarks that are considered necessary.
{{right|{{smallcaps|J. A. Smith}},{{Break}}Hon. Sec.{{Break}}Auckland, 25 October 1852<ref>{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18521029.2.6.1 |title=The Auckland Museum |date=29 October 1852 |work=The Southern Cross |access-date=23 January 2018 |issue=557 |volume=9 |pages=2 |via=[[Papers Past]] |archive-date=31 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331200807/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18521029.2.6.1 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}}}

The museum attracted 708 visitors in its first year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Auckland Museum |work=The Southern Cross |volume=10 |issue=661 |date=28 October 1853 |page=2 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18531028.2.9 |via=[[Papers Past]] |access-date=18 April 2023 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418232238/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18531028.2.9 |url-status=live }}</ref> Interest in the museum dwindled over the following decade even as its collection grew, and in 1869 the somewhat neglected and forlorn museum was transferred to the care of the [[Auckland Institute and Museum|Auckland Institute]], a learned society formed two years earlier. An Italianate-style building was constructed for the museum in Princes Street, near Government House and across the road from the Northern Club. It was opened on 5 June 1876 by the Governor of New Zealand, [[George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby]].<ref>{{Cite Q|Q115612992}}</ref> These new premises included a large gallery top-lit by a metal framed skylight. This room proved problematic as it was impossible to heat during the winter but overheated during the summer. Canvas awnings used to shield the roof from harsh sunlight made the exhibits difficult to view in the resulting gloom. Several exhibition halls were added to the side of the original building.<ref>{{cite Q|Q58623324}}</ref>

One of the visitors during the 1890s was the French artist [[Gauguin]], who sketched several Maori items and later incorporated them into his Tahitian period paintings.

== War Memorial building ==
[[File:Entablature-Auckland Museum.JPG|thumb|right|Part of the [[entablature]] on the museum's façade, depicting war scenes on its [[Doric order|Doric]] [[frieze]] in an alternating pattern of [[metope]]s (decorated panels) and [[triglyph]]s (channelled stone)<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/the-auckland-museum-frieze-scenes-of-war |title=The Auckland Museum frieze: Scenes of war |last=Stevens |first=Andrea |date=23 November 2015 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128040811/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/the-auckland-museum-frieze-scenes-of-war |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

In the early years of the 20th century the museum and its collections flourished under visionary curator [[Thomas Cheeseman]], who tried to establish a sense of order and separated the natural history, classical sculpture and anthropological collections which had previously been displayed in a rather unsystematic way. The need for better display conditions and extra space necessitated a move from the Princes Street site, and eventually the project for a purpose-built museum was merged with the idea of creating a memorial to commemorate soldiers lost in [[World War I|the First World War]].

After extensive consultation between the Mayor, Sir [[James Gunson]] and Thomas Cheeseman, the site chosen was a hill in the Government Domain commanding an impressive view of the [[Waitematā Harbour]]. Permission was granted by the [[Auckland City Council]] in 1918, with the Council in its liberality being given three seats on the Museum Council. In addition to an initial gift of {{GBP|10000|1920|link=yes|round=-4|about=yes}}, the council also agreed to an annual subsidy from [[Rates (tax)|rates]] towards maintenance of the facility, and eventually coaxed several of the other local bodies to the principle of an annual statutory levy of {{GBP|6000}} to support the museum's upkeep.

A worldwide architectural competition was funded by the [[Royal Institute of British Architects|Institute of British Architects]], with a prize of {{GBP|1000|1920|round=-4|about=yes}} sterling drawing more than 70 entries. The Auckland firm of Grierson, Aimer and Draffin won with their [[Neoclassical architecture|neo-classical design]] reminiscent of Greco-Roman temples. In 1920, the present site was settled on as a home for the museum, and in August 1925, after successful fund-raising led by Auckland Mayor Sir James Gunson, building of the Auckland War Memorial Museum began. Construction was completed in 1929, and the museum's new building was opened by the Governor-General, General [[Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet|Sir Charles Fergusson]].

The museum's architects commissioned Kohn's Jewellers of Queen Street to create a finely detailed silver model of the museum. This was presented to Gunson upon completion of the museum, in recognition of his extensive work in leading the project. After the death of Sir James, the model was presented to the museum by his son Wallace Gunson, where it remains on display to this day.

[[File:MuseumSilverModel.jpg|thumb|alt=Sir James Gunson. Auckland Museum Silver Model|Presentation to Sir James Gunson. Auckland Museum silver model.]]

The building is considered{{By whom|date=November 2010}} to be one of the finest Greco-Roman buildings in the Southern Hemisphere. It has an 'A' classification from the [[Heritage New Zealand|New Zealand Historic Places Trust]], designating it as a building whose preservation is of the utmost importance. Of particular interest is the interior plasterwork which incorporates Māori details in an amalgamation of Neo-Greek and art-deco styles. Likewise the exterior [[Relief|bas-reliefs]], carved by Richard Gross (1882{{Snd}}1964) and depicting 20th-century armed forces and personnel, are in a style which mixes [[Neo-Grec]] with [[Art Deco]].<ref name=":3" />

Restored 19th-century [[plaster cast]]s of three Greek statues—''[[Dying Gaul|The Dying Gaul]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-53811 |title=Statue of the Dying Galatian |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |id=1997X1.10 |access-date=26 January 2018 |quote=In 1878, the Auckland Museum in Princes Street received a gift of 33 casts of antique statuary from a wealthy expatriate Aucklander, Thomas Russell. [[John Logan Campbell]] saw the opportunity to establish the first free school of art in Auckland to be located in the museum. Other classical statues were subsequently donated[, and] were used as models for [[figure drawing]]. This plaster replica was made in the cast workshop of [Domenico] Brucciani's Galleria delle Belle Arti in Russell St, [[Covent Garden]], London. |archive-date=19 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419134922/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-53811 |url-status=live }}</ref> "[[Laocoön and His Sons]]", and "[[Discobolus]]"—emphasise the [[Greek Revival architecture]] of the building, and are considered "an acknowledgement of the historical importance of the arts and learning of classical antiquity to [New Zealand's] imported [[Culture of Europe|European culture]]".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/first-floor/the-russell-statues |title=The Russell Statues |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210055127/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/first-floor/the-russell-statues |url-status=live }}</ref> They are among 33 statues<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/search?pp=100&entm=http%3a%2f%2fapi.aucklandmuseum.com%2fid%2fperson%2f10814 |title=Search for creator: "Domenico Brucciani" |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210055102/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/search?pp=100&entm=http://api.aucklandmuseum.com/id/person/10814 |url-status=live }}</ref> donated to the museum in 1878 by a wealthy expatriate Aucklander, Thomas Russell.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-56973 |title=Polyhymnia sculpture |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=19 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419043313/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-56973 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The bulk of the building is English [[Portland stone]], with detailing in New Zealand granite from the [[Coromandel Peninsula|Coromandel]]. The quotation over the front porch—which begins "{{Sc|The whole earth is the sepulchre of famous men}}"—is attributed to the Greek statesman [[Pericles]]; its appearance is in keeping with the museum's status as a war memorial.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/topics/names-on-the-walls-engraved-in-stone |title=Names on the walls, engraved in stone |last=Lorimer |first=Elizabeth |date=7 November 2016 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130110721/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/topics/names-on-the-walls-engraved-in-stone |url-status=live }}</ref> The full text reads as follows:

{{Center|{{Poemquote|{{sc|MCMXIV – MCMXVIII
The whole earth is the [[wikt:sepulchre|sepulchre]] of famous men
They are commemorated not only by columns and inscriptions in their own country
But in foreign lands also by memorials graven not on stone
but on the hearts of men<ref name="pericles_translation">{{cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/about-us/history-of-auckland-museum/pericles-funeral-oration |title=Pericles' funeral oration |website=Auckland War Memorial Museum |translator=Bernard Makoare |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130110705/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/about-us/history-of-auckland-museum/pericles-funeral-oration |url-status=live }}</ref>}}}}}}

=== Additions ===
The 1929 building was designed with a view to future extension. Two additions were made to the original building, the first in the late 1950s to commemorate the [[World War II|Second World War]] when an administration annexe with a large semi-circular courtyard was added to the southern rear.<ref name="ENZ08">{{cite journal |issn=1175-2025 |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=23–27 |last1=Newman |first1=Keith |author-link1=Keith Newman (writer) |title=Strength, struggle, freedom |journal=E.nz Magazine |publisher=[[Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand]] |date=January 2008}}</ref> This extension is of concrete-block construction rendered in cement stucco to harmonise with the Portland stone of the earlier building. This major extension was designed by the architects M. K. and R. F. Draffin – one of the original architects and his son.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stevens |first1=Andrea |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/a-living-memorial |title=A living memorial |date=2011 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |location=Auckland |access-date=30 January 2022 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128040819/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/a-living-memorial |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2006, the inner courtyard was enclosed by a "Grand Atrium" at the southern entrance.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/getmedia/21a3c427-8991-47c3-bd0d-ccb206fc2c82/auckland-museum-annual-plan-2006-07 |title=Auckland War Memorial Museum Annual Plan 2006/2007 |date=2007 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |pages=3 |quote=In December 2006, the $64.5 million 'Grand Atrium' will be officially opened. |access-date=24 January 2018 |format=PDF |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130113105/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/getmedia/21a3c427-8991-47c3-bd0d-ccb206fc2c82/auckland-museum-annual-plan-2006-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Renovation and extension ===
[[File:museum from mt eden.jpg|thumb|right|The museum seen from [[Maungawhau|Maungawhau / Mount Eden]], showing the wavy shape of the copper dome]]

In the last two decades, the museum was renovated and extended in two stages. The first stage saw the existing building restored and the exhibits partly replaced during the 1990s for {{NZ$|43&nbsp;million|link=yes}}. The second stage of this restoration has seen a great dome and [[Atrium (architecture)|atrium]] constructed within the central courtyard, increasing the building's floor area by 60 per cent (an addition of {{Convert|9600|sqm||abbr=on}})<ref name="AWARD" /> at a cost of {{NZ$|64.5&nbsp;million}}. {{NZ$|27&nbsp;million}} of that was provided by the government, with the ASB Trust ({{NZ$|12.9&nbsp;million}}) and other donors making up the remainder.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/spectacular-makeover-nearly-ready/4H6C5AH43QEOONQIFVK7FCJXJE/ |title=Spectacular makeover nearly ready |first=Bernard |last=Orsman |date=8 September 2006 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210053559/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/spectacular-makeover-nearly-ready/4H6C5AH43QEOONQIFVK7FCJXJE/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This second stage was finished in 2007.

The copper and glass dome, as well as the viewing platform and event centre underneath it, had been criticised by some as "resembling a collapsed [[soufflé]]", but quickly won the admiration of critics and public, being noted for "its undulating lines, which echo the volcanic landscape and hills around Auckland".<ref name="Dome">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/view-from-museums-dome-beats-all-criticism/5IAN5U3EXMO3FLCULXYEEO4ATA/ |title=View from museum's dome beats all criticism |last=Gregory |first=Angela |date=16 November 2006 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=10 February 2022 |language=en-NZ |issn=1170-0777 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210053609/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/view-from-museums-dome-beats-all-criticism/5IAN5U3EXMO3FLCULXYEEO4ATA/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Standing in the event centre underneath the top of the dome was likened to being underneath the "cream-coloured belly of a giant stingray, with its rippling wings hovering over the distinctive city skyline".<ref name="Dome"/> In June 2007, the Grand Atrium project also received the Supreme Award of the New Zealand Property Council, which noted it as being "world-class", and a successful exercise in combining complex design and heritage demands. It also received the [[Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand|ACENZ]] Innovate NZ Gold Award (Structural Engineering) for the redevelopment.<ref name="AWARD">{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/museums-grand-atrium-project-takes-top-award/VKSMK27TRE3R5GDJILPONNURNU/ |title=Museum's grand atrium project takes top award |first=Anne |last=Gibson |date=30 June 2007 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210053606/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/museums-grand-atrium-project-takes-top-award/VKSMK27TRE3R5GDJILPONNURNU/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ACENZ">Auckland Museum Grand Atrium Project – ''Innovate NZ'', Brochure of the '2007 ACENZ Awards of Excellence', Page 6</ref>

[[File:Auckland Museum Model Stage II.jpg|thumb|right|Model of the museum with the new copper dome at the rear]]

The new sections underneath the dome, mostly contained within a [[kauri]]-wood-panelled sphere approximately {{Convert|30|m||abbr=on}} across, add {{Convert|900|sqm||abbr=on}} of additional exhibition space, as well as an event centre under the dome roof with a free span {{Convert|48|m}} wide, plus new areas for tour and school groups, including an auditorium in the sphere-bowl with 200 seats. The bowl, which is the internal centre-piece of the expansion, weighs 700 tonnes and is suspended free-hanging from [[truss]]es spanning over it from the four elevator shafts located around it.<ref name="Dome"/><ref name="ACENZ"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/ground-floor/atrium |title=Atrium |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210055115/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/ground-floor/atrium |url-status=live }}</ref>

The new sections of the museum have been favourably likened to a [[Matryoshka doll]]—buildings nested within a building.<ref name="ENZ08"/>

In 2020, the museum opened a new set of exhibitions called ''Tāmaki Herenga Waka: Stories of Auckland''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/tamaki-herenga-waka |title=Tāmaki Herenga Waka: Stories of Auckland |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=5 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205214145/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/tamaki-herenga-waka |url-status=live }}</ref> This includes sections on the land, water, and city, as well as specific areas focused on activism and data visualisation. The data visualisation section, titled ''Living City: Rarau mai'', explores the city's ethnically diverse population with large-scale visual displays focusing on three themes: people, environment and systems. This was created in collaboration with Data Visualisation Design Consultancy firm [http://oomcreative.com/ Oom Creative] and draws from a range of databases including [[iNaturalist]], National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research ([[NIWA]]), and [[New Zealand census|census]] data. The exhibition includes a soundscape by Marco Cher-Gibard.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kerr-Lazenby |first=Mina |date=15 April 2021 |title=Stories of Auckland: New exhibit shows Tāmaki Makaurau's rich tapestry of cultures |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/300266569/stories-of-auckland-new-exhibit-shows-tmaki-makauraus-rich-tapestry-of-cultures |url-status=live |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414212323/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/300266569/stories-of-auckland-new-exhibit-shows-tmaki-makauraus-rich-tapestry-of-cultures |archive-date=14 April 2021 |access-date=10 February 2022}}</ref> 

[[File:Te Ao Mārama (the realm of Being and Light), South Atrium of the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira.jpg|alt=A large museum atrium featuring a large wooden bowl-shaped structure suspended from the ceiling|thumb|Te Ao Mārama (the realm of Being and Light), South Atrium of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, completed in 2020]]

Also in 2020 was the opening of the redesigned South Atrium entrance, Te Ao Mārama. This built on Auckland architect Noel Lane's 2006 design which featured the large Samoan-inspired Tanoa bowl at its core. The new atrium was a design collaboration between Australasian architecture firms, Jasmax, [[Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp]], and designTRIBE, in collaboration with Iwi and Pasifika communities in Auckland, with a multicultural focus.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Te Ao Mārama: Ripe and bursting at the seams |url=https://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/ripe-and-bursting-at-the-seams/ |access-date=20 May 2023 |website=Architecture Now |language=en-AU |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060440/https://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/ripe-and-bursting-at-the-seams/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Under the Tanoa bowl is an AV installation containing stories from [[Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei|Ngāti Whātua Orākei]], [[Ngāti Pāoa|Ngāti Paoa]] and [[Waikato Tainui]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Cusick |first=Ashley |date=1 December 2020 |title=First look: Auckland War Memorial Museum South Atrium |work=Architecture Now |url=https://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/first-look-auckland-war-memorial-museum-south-atrium/ |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=5 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305170521/https://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/first-look-auckland-war-memorial-museum-south-atrium/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Te Ao Mārama won Supreme Award and Civic Award at the 2021 Interior Awards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Winners announced at the 2021 Interior Awards |url=https://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/winners-announced-at-the-2021-interior-awards/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=Architecture Now |language=en-AU}}</ref>

Several artworks were commissioned for Te Ao Mārama. The gateway (titled ''Te Tatau Kaitiaki'') was created by artist Graham Tipene.<ref>{{Cite web |title=South Atrium Artworks: Tatau Kaitiaki |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/south-atrium/artworks#tatau-kaitiaki |url-status=live |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120131904/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/south-atrium/artworks |archive-date=20 January 2021}}</ref> It depicts two [[Manaia (mythological creature)|manaia]], as well as Tipene's grandmother, and his mother, who died in 2014. Tipene called the commission "a huge honour", saying "When I heard I was given this task, my first thought was mum."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harawira |first=Tumamao |date=17 November 2020 |title=New doors open for Auckland Museum's southern atrium entrance |work=Te Ao Māori News |url=https://www.teaomaori.news/new-doors-open-auckland-museums-southern-atrium-entrance |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=22 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622173953/https://www.teaomaori.news/new-doors-open-auckland-museums-southern-atrium-entrance |url-status=live }}</ref> Placed centrally in the atrium is ''Manulua'' – twin sculptures by Tongan artist [[Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi]].<ref>{{cite web |title=South Atrium Artworks: Manulua |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/south-atrium/artworks#manulua |url-status=live |website=Auckland War Memorial Museum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120131904/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/south-atrium/artworks |archive-date=20 January 2021 |access-date=10 February 2022}}</ref> They represent the traditional practise of lalava (lashing) and symbolise "the unity of all things past, present and future."<ref>{{cite news |date=30 November 2020 |title=Auckland Museum reopens its South Atrium entrance |work=Auckland War Memorial Museum |publisher=[[Scoop (website)|Scoop]] |url=https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2011/S00670/auckland-museum-reopens-its-south-atrium-entrance.htm |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=31 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331200807/https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2011/S00670/auckland-museum-reopens-its-south-atrium-entrance.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Outside the entrance is the sculpture ''Whaowhia'' by [[Brett Graham]], a nod to the purpose of the museum as a war memorial and as a holder of knowledge.<ref>{{cite web |title=South Atrium Artworks |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/south-atrium/artworks#whaowhia |url-status=live |website=Auckland War Memorial Museum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120131904/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/south-atrium/artworks |archive-date=20 January 2021 |access-date=10 February 2022}}</ref> Finally, ''Wāhi Whakanoa'', two new whakanoa by [[Chris Bailey (artist)|Chris Bailey]], were commissioned for the space, inspired by Hine-pū-te-hue, the female guardian of the [[Gourd|hue]], and Rongomātāne, the god associated with peace and cultivated plants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=South Atrium Artworks: Wahi Whakanoa |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/south-atrium/artworks#wahi-whakanoa |url-status=live |website=Auckland War Memorial Museum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120131904/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/south-atrium/artworks |archive-date=20 January 2021 |access-date=10 February 2022}}</ref>

==Collections, exhibitions and research==
Auckland Museum's collections are organised into three principal areas: documentary heritage ([[manuscript]]s, [[Letter (message)|correspondence]] and other [[historical document]]s in [[archive]]s, along with [[Visual arts|pictorial art]]); the major branches of the [[natural science]]s; and human history (broadly, [[material culture]]).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections-online/about-our-collection |title=About our collection |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=25 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128093957/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections-online/about-our-collection |url-status=live }}</ref> The museum maintains a high degree of regional cooperation and complementary collecting with other organisations across Auckland (among them [[Auckland Libraries]] and [[Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki]]), and has done since its inception.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collection/object/am_library-manuscriptsandarchives-566 |title=George Samuel Graham – Papers |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=25 January 2018 |quote=George Graham's papers are held in Auckland Libraries' Sir George Gray Special Collections and in the Auckland War Memorial Museum Library, with the latter holding the greater part. |archive-date=14 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314032528/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collection/object/am_library-manuscriptsandarchives-566 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/first-floor/the-mackelvie-collection |title=The Mackelvie Collection |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=24 January 2018 |quote=Auckland Museum holds all of the applied arts that Mackelvie donated to Auckland, both while he was alive and on his death. Paintings and sculptures are held in the Auckland Art Gallery and books are held in the Auckland Library. |archive-date=27 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127233222/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/first-floor/the-mackelvie-collection |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Documentary Heritage===
The museum's nationally and internationally significant Documentary Heritage collections comprise manuscripts, ephemera, maps, [[Nautical chart|charts]] and [[Urban planning|plans]], newspapers and periodicals, rare and contemporary books and [[pamphlet]]s, photographs, and works of art in the form of paintings, [[bookplate]]s, and sketches and drawings. Among the areas of significant focus are Māori and Pacific cultures,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/pictorial-collections/maori-language,-whakapapa,-history |title=Māori language, whakapapa, history |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130202846/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/pictorial-collections/maori-language,-whakapapa,-history |url-status=live }}</ref> the human and natural history of the Greater Auckland region, New Zealanders' involvement in global conflicts, and exploration and discovery.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/library |title=Te Pātaka Mātāpuna: Research Library |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=30 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130150347/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/library |url-status=live }}</ref> The museum holds the only known extant copy of ''[[A korao no New Zealand|A Korao no New Zealand]]'', the first book written in [[Māori language|the Māori language]], published at Sydney in 1815 by the missionary [[Thomas Kendall]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/topics/a-korao-no-new-zealand |title=A korao no New Zealand |last=Warren |first=Geraldine |date=20 May 2015 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=15 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215050505/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/topics/a-korao-no-new-zealand |url-status=live }}</ref>

<gallery>
File:New-zealanders-first-book-title.jpg
</gallery>

====Pictorial====
The museum has considerable holdings in historic paintings, rare watercolours, photographs and other artworks.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/pictorial-collections |title=Documentary Heritage |website=www.aucklandmuseum.com |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130202431/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/pictorial-collections |url-status=live }}</ref> The Pictorial collection numbers in the millions,<ref name=":4">{{cite web |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections-online/about-our-collection/documentary-heritage |title=Collections Online: Documentary Heritage |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128002315/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections-online/about-our-collection/documentary-heritage |url-status=live }}</ref> and contains some of the earliest examples of the development of the photographic arts and technology in New Zealand, including [[calotype]]s by [[Henry Fox Talbot|William Fox Talbot]]; some of the first known [[Daguerreotype|daguerrotypes]] made in New Zealand,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/early-nz-cased-photographs |title=NZ-made: Early New Zealand cased photographs |last=Higgins |first=Shaun |date=20 May 2015 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128041911/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/early-nz-cased-photographs |url-status=live }}</ref> and an [[ambrotype]] portrait of the [[Ngāpuhi|Ngā Puhi]] chief [[Tāmati Wāka Nene]] attributed to [[John Nicol Crombie]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_library-photography-69358 |title=Tamati Waka Nene |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=3 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203064254/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_library-photography-69358 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The latter part of the 20th century is substantially represented by the collection of the documentary photographer [[Robin Morrison]], while among the women photographers of note represented are [[Una Garlick]] and Margaret Matilda White. Other collections include the documentary photographs of the ''[[Auckland Star]]'' and ''[[New Zealand Herald]]'' newspapers; some work by Arthur Ninnis Breckon and [[George Bourne (photographer)|George Bourne]], including images made for the ''Auckland Weekly News'';<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/photographs-of-a-prophet |title=Photographs of a prophet |last=Dix |first=Kelly |date=26 March 2016 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128015036/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/photographs-of-a-prophet |url-status=live }}</ref> the work of [[Tudor Washington Collins]] and [[John Watt Beattie]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/john-watt-beatties-south-and-western-pacific-views |title=John Watt Beattie's south and western Pacific views |last=Higgins |first=Shaun |date=20 May 2015 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |quote=In 1933 Auckland Museum purchased, for the grand sum of £25, a series of some 1300 glass plate negatives from Beattie's Studios Pty. Ltd., Hobart, Tasmania. The negatives were the work of photographer John Watt Beattie, taken during an expedition to the South and Western Pacific in 1906. |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128040756/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/john-watt-beatties-south-and-western-pacific-views |url-status=live }}</ref> and the archive of Sparrow Industrial Pictures. The paintings and drawings collection includes works by [[Charles Heaphy]], [[Gustavus von Tempsky]], [[George French Angas]], and [[John Webster]], as well as portraits of Māori by [[C. F. Goldie]] and [[Gottfried Lindauer]], and an impressive set of albums by the 19th-century clergyman and watercolour artist [[John Kinder (priest)|John Kinder]].<ref name=":4" /> The museum also has a significant bookplate collection, which contains more than 7,000 plates collected by the Australian scholar [[Percy Neville Barnett]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/bookplates-small-works-of-art |title=Bookplates: Small Works of Art |last=Lilly |first=Hugh |date=9 July 2015 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128032507/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/bookplates-small-works-of-art |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Manuscripts and archives====
The Manuscripts and Archives collection is of major regional importance and, at approximately 2,000 linear metres, it is one of the largest non-governmental archives in New Zealand.<ref name=":4"/> The collection covers large organisational and business archives and smaller personal collections which record and illustrate New Zealanders' lives within the country and abroad, especially during military service.<ref name=":4" />

Among the personal papers held at the museum are 19th-century papers relating to the pioneering [[Henry Williams (missionary)|Williams family]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collection/object/am_library-manuscriptsandarchives-125 |title=Papers relating to the Williams family |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |id=MS-90-70 |access-date=24 January 2018 |quote=Collection includes deeds, wills, birth, death and marriage certificates. |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209055459/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collection/object/am_library-manuscriptsandarchives-125 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the Reverend Vicesimus Lush; the papers of the politician [[John Logan Campbell (politician)|John Logan Campbell]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collection/object/am_library-manuscriptsandarchives-1265 |title=Sir John Logan Campbell – Papers |website=www.aucklandmuseum.com |id=MS-51 |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=27 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190127122140/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collection/object/am_library-manuscriptsandarchives-1265 |url-status=live }}</ref> who has been called "the father of Auckland"; the mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist [[Edmund Hillary]];<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collection/object/am_library-manuscriptsandarchives-7267 |title=Sir Edmund Hillary – Personal papers |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |id=MS-2010-1 |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=1 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201191723/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collection/object/am_library-manuscriptsandarchives-7267 |url-status=live }}</ref> and those of the [[Resident (title)|British Resident]] [[James Busby]]. In addition, the Library also holds the papers of:
* Former Museum Director and Curator [[Thomas Frederick Cheeseman]]
* Botanist [[Leonard Cockayne]]
* Librarian and author [[Johannes Carl Andersen|Johannes C. Andersen]]
* Historians [[Ruth Ross]] and Jack Lee{{Efn-lr|John Roland Preston Lee, 1913–1998.|name=jacklee|group=MS}}
* Potter, writer, and conservationist [[Barry Brickell]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/barry-brickell |title=Barry Brickell |last1=Lilly |first1=Hugh |last2=Passau |first2=Victoria |date=5 August 2016 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |quote=Auckland Museum holds papers relating to Brickell's studio, his artistic practice and his commissioned works, both public and private. The collection, which dates from 1965 to 1985, includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, sketches and photographs. |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128015101/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/barry-brickell |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Notelist-lr|group=MS}}Among the companies and organisations represented in the collection are:
* [[Crown Lynn|Crown Lynn Potteries]] (covering the period 1959{{Snd}}1987)
* The [[Martha Mine|Martha Gold Mining Company]] (covering the period 1915{{Snd}}1951)
* Seed merchants [[Arthur Yates|Arthur Yates & Co]]. (covering the period 1882{{Snd}}1940)
* Pelorus Press Ltd. (covering the period 1947{{Snd}}1978)
* The [[Farmers Trading Company|Farmers' Trading Company]] (covering the period 1909{{Snd}}1987)
The collection includes both local and national society records; some examples include:
* [[Ornithological Society of New Zealand]]
* Auckland Society of Arts
* Auckland Acclimatisation Society
* Auckland Amateur Operatic Society
* [[Auckland Choral Society]]
* Auckland Studio Potters
* Auckland Photographic Society
The Library is the repository of the [[Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand|Presbyterian Church]] records for Auckland and Northland.<ref name=":4" />

About 600 manuscripts contain material by or about women.<ref name=":4" /> These provide fascinating insights into the lives of both pioneering and contemporary women, and are described in the museum publication ''Womanscripts'', compiled by Sue Loughlin and Carolyn Morris (1995).<ref>{{cite book |title=He Reo Wāhine: Māori women's voices from the nineteenth century |last1=Paterson |first1=Lachy |last2=Wanhalla |first2=Angela |publisher=[[Auckland University Press]] |year=2017 |isbn=978-1775589273 |location=Auckland, New Zealand |oclc=1000453795 |quote=We began gathering the voices of Māori women and their writings by building on the work of previous research, for example […] Auckland War Memorial Museum's ''Womanscripts''…}}</ref>

Nearly 300 manuscripts are described as being Māori or having Māori elements. Most of these are recorded in Jenifer Curnow's 1995 book ''Ngā Pou Ārahi'',<ref>{{cite book |last=Curnow |first=Jenifer |author-link=Jenifer Curnow |date=1995 |title=Ngā Pou Ārahi: A Tribal Inventory of Manuscripts Relating to Māori Treasures, Language, Genealogy, Songs, History, Customs and Proverbs |publisher=Auckland Institute and Museum |isbn=978-0-908623-44-0 |oclc=608130293}}</ref> a tribal inventory relating to Māori treasures, language, genealogy, songs, history, customs and proverbs.<ref name=":4" />

====Maps and plans====
The museum is one of a small number of organisations in New Zealand which collects and cares for historic maps. The map collection contains large sequences of official New Zealand maps, WWII-era military maps, subdivision plans,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/south-auckland-real-estate-plans |title=South Auckland Real-Estate Plans |last=Senior |first=Julie |date=20 May 2015 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128041729/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/south-auckland-real-estate-plans |url-status=live }}</ref> and other material, including atlases, which helps record and provide evidence of early New Zealand development.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/search?doctype=Map%2fPlan |title=Search for "Maps/Plans" |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |language=en |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210055150/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/search?doctype=Map/Plan |url-status=live }}</ref> There is also a small collection of significant maps relating to the discovery and exploration of the Pacific Ocean and islands by Europeans, dating from before 1800.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/early-european-charts-of-the-pacific-ocean |title=Early European charts of the Pacific Ocean |last=Senior |first=Julie |date=18 August 2015 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128025601/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/early-european-charts-of-the-pacific-ocean |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Serials and newspapers ====
[[Serial (publishing)|Serials]] were the first collection items ordered by the [[Royal Society Te Apārangi|Auckland Institute]] when it was formed in 1867. There are approximately 4,500 historical and current titles in the assemblage, excluding [[electronic journal]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/search/?doctype=Serial |title=Search for doctype: "Serial" |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130005111/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/search/?doctype=Serial |url-status=live }}</ref> The extent, and in some cases uniqueness, of the museum's holdings of historical and current journals makes their research value of national importance.

The museum holds the country's most significant collection of Auckland newspapers,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/heritage-auckland-newspapers |title=Heritage Auckland newspapers |last=Legel |first=Paula |date=6 July 2015 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128035207/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/heritage-auckland-newspapers |url-status=live }}</ref> based on a 1967 donation by [[The New Zealand Herald|Wilson & Horton]] of their historical Auckland newspapers dating from the early 1840s and supplemented by individual donations. The museum contributes to the research site [[National Library of New Zealand|Papers Past]], as well as to the national network of institutions that hold historical newspapers.

==== Museum Library Te Pātaka Mātāpuna ====
The museum's own business and research archives (covering its governance, curation, exhibitions, education, publishing, building development and maintenance, and internal management) are housed alongside the above, and are accessed by way of the Museum Library Te Pātaka Mātāpuna, one of the country's leading heritage research libraries.<ref name=":10" /> The library's collections of books and other publications are focused on New Zealand subject areas and are developed chiefly to support curatorial work and collecting, but also feature significant holdings of [[Māori language|Māori-language]] material,<ref name=":4" /> and an impressive collection of rare books, including 16th-century [[herbal]]s and [[Florilegium|florilegia]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/illustrated-leaves |title=Illustrated leaves |last=Bayliss |first=Tamsyn |date=11 March 2016 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128015007/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/illustrated-leaves |url-status=live }}</ref> and a number of rare volumes on [[conchology]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/rare-books-and-conchology |title=Rare books and conchology |last=Bayliss |first=Tamsyn |date=20 May 2015 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128041836/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/rare-books-and-conchology |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, there exists an extensive collection of [[ephemera]], built for the most part on donations from private collectors starting in the 19th century.

===Natural sciences===
The museum's natural sciences collections are principally a research and reference assemblage that provides information on the distribution and morphology of plant, animal and mineral species in New Zealand and the regional Pacific. The museum stores and exhibits 1.5 million natural history specimens from the fields of [[botany]], [[entomology]], geology, land [[vertebrates]] and [[marine biology]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/natural-science |title=Natural Sciences |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210053611/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/natural-science |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Botany====
'''AK''' is the index herbariorum code for the Auckland War Memorial Museum.<ref name="NZNHN">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nzherbaria.org.nz/herb_details.asp?NZHerb_ID=2 |title=Herbarium details: Auckland War Memorial Museum (AK) |website=New Zealand National Herbarium Network |publisher=[[Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research]] |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=27 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127123319/http://nzherbaria.org.nz/herb_details.asp?NZHerb_ID=2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Herbarium List – The William & Lynda Steere Herbarium: AK |url=http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/herbarium-list/?NamOrganisationAcronym=AK |access-date=9 November 2020 |publisher=[[New York Botanical Garden]] |archive-date=31 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331200806/http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/herbarium-list/?NamOrganisationAcronym=AK |url-status=live }}</ref>

The botanical collections of the Auckland Museum [[Herbarium]] (AK) were first established in 1870,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/natural-science/botany |title=About Our Collections: Botany |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=23 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128003815/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/natural-science/botany |url-status=live }}</ref> and are the means by which the department carries out its function of collection and preservation of botanical materials, education—through public enquiries, individual and group visits, outreach programmes, and the display of material—and research and publication on various aspects of New Zealand flora. The focus of the herbarium collection is on wild plants (native and naturalised) in all plant groups principally from northern New Zealand and its offshore islands. Auckland Museum's is one of only three significantly sized herbaria in New Zealand; the others are at [[Landcare Research|Landcare Research Auckland]] and the [[Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa]], in Wellington.

The herbarium contains a number of collections from significant botanists including [[Thomas Frederic Cheeseman|Thomas Cheeseman]] (curator, 1874{{Snd}}1923), and Captain James Cook's botanists, [[Joseph Banks]] and [[Daniel Solander]]. The Herbarium holds over 333,000 botanical specimens—including 200,000 angiosperms, 5,000 gymnosperms, 30,000 pteridophytes, 21,500 mosses, 12,300 liverworts, 22,000 algae, 27,200 lichens, and 1,000 timber samples.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/natural-science/botany/cataloguing-our-collections |title=Cataloguing our collections |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128003821/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/natural-science/botany/cataloguing-our-collections |url-status=live }}</ref> The museum also holds a substantial collection of [[kauri gum]], and a specialist collection of "fern books" (bound collections of [[fern]]s made by amateurs and professionals) along with a small "wet" collection (specimens preserved in liquid) of flowers, fruit and algae.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/blog/2016/natural-sciences-wet-collection-project |title=Natural Sciences Wet Collection Project |last=Harvey |first=Megan |date=8 January 2016 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-date=20 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420015407/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/blog/2016/natural-sciences-wet-collection-project |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NZNHN"/>

<gallery>
File:. Microsorum parksii (Copel.) Copel. (AM AK118716-2).jpg|
File:Abies insignis (AM AK346048).jpg|
File:Abrodictyum dentatum (Bosch) Ebihara and K.Iwats. (AM AK355664).jpg|
File:Aciphylla aurea W.R.B.Oliv. (AM AK6391).jpg|
File:Actinidia chinensis A. deliciosa (A.Chev.) C.F.Liang and A.R.Ferguson var. deliciosa Planch. (AM AK355312).jpg|
File:Actinidia polygama (Sieb. and Zucc.) Maxim. (AM AK355328-1).jpg|
File:Notheia anomala Bailey and Harv. (AM AK344484).jpg|
</gallery>

====Entomology====
The Entomology collection contains about 250,000 catalogued specimens and, while focused on the northern areas of New Zealand, includes important collections ranging from [[Three Kings Islands]] to the [[List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands|sub-Antarctic Islands]]. It is part of a national and international network and aims to contain a comprehensive reference collection of all insect types as well as other terrestrial and freshwater [[invertebrates]] (worms, spiders, [[millipedes]] and [[centipedes]], some [[isopods]] and [[amphipods]]) from the New Zealand region. This includes both native and introduced species. Its importance lies in the ability to support research into the biodiversity of New Zealand's terrestrial invertebrates (particularly beetles, moths and parasitic wasps), and their contribution to complex ecologies. Foreign collections of beetles and butterflies feature also, for comparative and educational value.

In 2009, the museum acquired a collection of [[Butterfly|butterflies]] and books about butterflies bequeathed by the late Ray Shannon, a private collector whose interest in [[lepidopterology]] began while he was stationed in the [[Solomon Islands]] during the Second World War. The collection contains about 13,000 specimens of just under 3,000 species and subspecies.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/topics/the-shannon-butterfly-collection |title=The Shannon butterfly collection |last=Early |first=John |date=4 May 2016 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=2 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202201131/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/topics/the-shannon-butterfly-collection |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Geology====
The Geology collection was originally focused on material from the [[Waihi]], Thames and Coromandel gold fields, through deliberate collecting by the museum's geologists as well as those donated by private collectors. It has been augmented by volcanic specimens of research and historical interest. The collection of around 12,000 specimens contains a number of nationally significant materials, and supports research work and collections held at other museums, universities and [[Crown Research Institute]]s.

====Paleontology====

The Palaeontology collection was established in the early 1900s and, with more than 20,000 specimen lots, is one of the largest collections of fossil invertebrates in New Zealand. Its importance lies in its ability to contribute understanding of evolutionary change, past biodiversity and the record of dynamic change during the past 65 million years with rapid submergence and uplift at various times during New Zealand's geological history. Past climate change and the significance of glacial cycles and oscillation are reflected in the specimens and their associated data as well.

====Land vertebrates====
The [[Biochronology|Land Vertebrates]] collection comprises more than 12,500 bird specimens, 2,500 [[amphibian]]s and reptiles, and 1,000 land mammals, primarily collected from Northern New Zealand. Among the specimens are the oldest surviving New Zealand stuffed birds, bought around 1856–57, from Mr I. St John, a taxidermist from [[Nelson, New Zealand|Nelson]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/natural-science/land-vertebrates/history-of-land-vertebrates |title=History of land vertebrates collection |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130210543/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/natural-science/land-vertebrates/history-of-land-vertebrates |url-status=live }}</ref> The collection is particularly strong in [[Kiwi (bird)|kiwi]] and [[moa]], [[Seabird|oceanic seabirds]], [[penguin]]s, [[cormorant]]s, ducks, waders and allies ([[Charadriiformes]]), [[passerine]] birds, [[tuatara]], [[gecko]]s, [[skink]]s, Pacific reptiles and New Zealand [[bat]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/natural-science/land-vertebrates |title=Land vertebrates |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130210337/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/natural-science/land-vertebrates |url-status=live }}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Anomalopteryx didiformis (AM LB5548-2).jpg|
File:Crocodylus porosus (AM LH622-2).jpg|
File:Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae (AM LB13591-8).jpg|
File:Chrysolophus amherstiae (AM LB10984-1).jpg|
File:Dendroica castanea (AM LB10015-5).jpg|
File:Apteryx mantelli (AM LB8984-3).jpg|
</gallery>

<gallery>
File:Aeneator attenuatus Powell, 1927 (AM MA72002-2).jpg|
File:Acropora sp. (AM MA143267-5).jpg|
File:Austrofusus glans (Roeding, 1798) (AM MA70063-1).jpg|
File:Babelomurex wormaldi (Powell, 1971) (AM MA71329-1).jpg|
File:Penion sulcatus (Lamarck, 1816) (AM MA71144-1).jpg|
</gallery>

===Human history===
====Applied Arts====
Established in 1966, the museum's Applied Arts and Design collection includes ceramics, jewellery, furniture, glass, metalwork, costumes, textiles, costume accessories, musical instruments, [[Horology|horological objects]] and ''objets d'art'' from around the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/human-history/applied-decorative-arts |title=Applied Arts and Design |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130204519/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/human-history/applied-decorative-arts |url-status=live }}</ref> The collection numbers nearly 7,000 objects<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/our-galleries/ground-floor/encounter |title=Encounter |last=Clarke |first=Philip |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130170753/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/our-galleries/ground-floor/encounter |archive-date=30 January 2018}}</ref> and represents key makers, manufacturers, designs, designers and technical developments and styles primarily of Auckland, but also of the Auckland region of New Zealand, and Western and Eastern cultures. The Applied Arts and Design department receives acquisition funds from the Charles Edgar Disney Art Trust,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/ground-floor/landmarks |title=Landmarks |last=Cochrane |first=Grace |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171218220134/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/ground-floor/landmarks |archive-date=18 December 2017 |quote=Significant gifts of European and Oriental objects and collections, reflecting the interests of individual connoisseurs and collectors, had been made to the Museum, and in 1967 The Charles Edgar Disney Art Trust was set up for the Museum to purchase items in these fields.}}</ref> and has a number of loan collections including the Mackelvie Trust Collection. A collection of 7,000 objects from across Asia is displayed on rotation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/first-floor/arts-of-asia |title=Arts of Asia |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-date=27 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127233231/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/first-floor/arts-of-asia |url-status=live }}</ref>

===== Mackelvie Collection =====
The museum has on loan all of the applied arts objects donated to the city of Auckland by [[James Mackelvie|James Tannock Mackelvie]], a Glaswegian Scot who lived and worked in Auckland from 1865 to 1871. He made a fortune in land speculation and gold-mining investments before returning to London, and was perhaps Auckland's single biggest arts benefactor. Mackelvie was a prodigious collector and from the beginning intended his acquisitions to one day form a teaching collection in New Zealand.<ref name=":6" />

====Castle Collection of musical instruments====
A collection of more than 480 musical instruments was acquired in 1996 from Zillah and Ronald Castle.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/castle-collection-of-musical-instruments |title=Castle Collection of musical instruments |last=le Valliant |first=Louis |date=5 June 2015 |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128032616/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/castle-collection-of-musical-instruments |url-status=live }}</ref> The Castle Collection contains "rare violins, an 18th-century harpsichord and an eclectic collection of instruments associated with New Zealand's pioneer days". The items in the collection "range over every imaginable un-powered device capable of producing music", and includes "workable examples of every member of the [[violin family]], as well as [[didgeridoo]]s, a [[zuffolo]], [[harpsichord]]s, a [[crwth]], [[harp]]s, [[tabla]]s, a sáhn, [[Horn (instrument)|horns]], [[trumpet]]s, [[clarinet]]s, [and] a [[hurdy-gurdy]]".<ref name=":7" />

====Taonga Māori (Ethnology)====
The museum houses a large collection of [[Māori people|Māori]] and [[Pacific Islander|Pacific Island]] [[Cultural artifact|artefacts]], including Hotunui,<ref name=":0"/> a large [[Wharenui|whare rūnanga]] (carved meeting house) built in 1878 at [[Thames, New Zealand|Thames]], and Te Toki-a-Tapiri,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Te Toki a Tapiri, waka taua |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-582613 |website=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=19 November 2015 |archive-date=19 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119144851/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-582613 |url-status=dead}}</ref> a [[Waka (canoe)|Māori war canoe]] from 1830 carved by [[Te Waaka Perohuka]]<ref name=":2">{{DNZB|last=Oliver|first=Steven|id=1p13|title=Te Waaka Perohuka|access-date=20 December 2011}}</ref> and [[Raharuhi Rukupō]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Harrison |first1=Pakariki |last2=Oliver |first2=Steven |date=July 2020 |title=Dictionary of New Zealand Biography |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2r30/rukupo-raharuhi |url-status=live |access-date=15 May 2021 |website=Dictionary of New Zealand Biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704231050/http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2r30/rukupo-raharuhi |archive-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> Within New Zealand, the Taonga Māori collection is of equal significance to that of the national museum, [[Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa|Te Papa Tongarewa]]. It is a cultural and research resource of the first order, having the most comprehensive range of types and periods of material and is essential for the whole spectrum of studies in Māori art and [[material culture]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/human-history/ethnology/categories-of-collections |title=Categories of collections |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128003741/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/about-our-collections/human-history/ethnology/categories-of-collections |url-status=live }}</ref> The collection dates from the early decades of the founding of the museum; its focus has been on acquiring first-quality 'masterworks' from all tribal and geographic areas of New Zealand, as well as representative material-culture items. The museum's collection of ethnic musical instruments is the largest in the country, and is one of the most important in the world.<ref name=":8" />

==== Pacific ====
The museum's comprehensive Pacific collection has a range of arts and material culture from tropical Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.<ref name=":8" /> The collection is diverse both geographically and in type of material, covering all the cultures of the Pacific, from [[West Papua (region)|West Papua]], north-east to [[Hawaii]] and south-east to [[Easter Island]]. Objects are collected for their intrinsic cultural or artistic importance, and also for their place within a temporal or geographic range by virtue of the relevance of their maker, who may be anonymous.

==== World Ethnology ====
The World (Foreign Ethnology) collection is diverse, the largest and most significant of its type in the country. It aims to reflect a well-balanced range of arts and artefacts of non-Western, -Pacific, and -Māori cultures, and it is an important collection in terms of its ability to portray the diversity of world cultures, in particular that of South-east Asia, because of that area's "prehistoric links with Polynesian cultures and its contemporary regional political significance".<ref name=":8" />

=== Research ===
The museum publishes two scholarly serials as part of its statutory role to advance and promote cultural and scientific scholarship and research. ''Papahou'' (named for a [[Whakairo|toi whakairo]] carved container, previously ''Records of Auckland Museum''),{{Efn|{{JSTOR|issn=00670464}} & {{JSTOR|issn=11749202}}.|group=notes|name=jstor_RAM}} has been regularly published since 1930 and contains results of original research on the museum collections and research by curatorial and other staff, and associates.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/research/publications/papahou |title=Papahou: Records of the Auckland Museum |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=29 January 2025 |archive-date=20 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250120232014/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/research/publications/papahou |url-status=live }}</ref> New issues are published online and earlier issues are being digitised.<ref name="papahouarpha">{{cite web |title=Papahou: Records of the Auckland Museum |url=https://papahou.arphahub.com/ |publisher=Auckland Museum |access-date=29 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129025513/https://papahou.arphahub.com/ |archive-date=29 January 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="papahouarchive">{{cite web |title=Records of the Auckland Museum: Archive |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/research/publications/records/archive |website=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=29 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240804114752/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/research/publications/records/archive |archive-date=4 August 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

''Papahou'' contain more than 450 articles written by over 150 different authors and co-authors dealing mostly with [[zoology]], [[archaeology]], ethnology, and botany. The articles contain important accounts of archaeological excavations and ethnographic objects, and descriptions of nearly 700 new [[Taxon|''taxa'']] (mostly new animal species and subspecies).<ref name=":12" />

The occasional ''Bulletin'', which appears less often and usually contains results of larger research projects, has been published since 1941.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/research/publications/bulletin |title=Bulletin of the Auckland Museum |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=29 January 2025 |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926023316/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/research/publications/bulletin |url-status=live }}</ref>

== War Memorial ==
[[File:Auckland War Memorial Museum cenotaph.jpg|thumb|right|Cenotaph headstones]]

The museum has an extensive permanent exhibition, "Scars on the Heart", covering wars—including the [[New Zealand Wars]] and New Zealand's participation in overseas conflicts such as the First and Second World Wars; the [[Second Boer War|Anglo-Boer War]]; conflicts such as the [[Korean War|Korean]] and [[Vietnam War]]s, and the country's role in [[United Nations peacekeeping|UN Peacekeeping]] missions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/our-galleries/top-floor/scars-on-the-heart |title=Scars on the Heart |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128135125/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/our-galleries/top-floor/scars-on-the-heart |url-status=live }}</ref> This exhibition is linked to the War Memorial, and shows, for example, models of Māori [[pā]] (fortified settlements) and original [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/our-galleries/top-floor/spitfire |title=Spitfire |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128135129/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/our-galleries/top-floor/spitfire |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Mitsubishi Zero]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/our-galleries/top-floor/zero |title=Zero |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=28 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128135201/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/our-galleries/top-floor/zero |url-status=live }}</ref> aeroplanes. In November 2016, {{Language with name/for|mi|Pou Maumahara|post of remembrance}},<ref name="PM_dictionary">{{Cite web |url=https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?keywords=maumahara |title=maumahara |website=Te Aka Māori Dictionary |publisher=Te Ipukarea (the National Māori Language Institute) |language=en |access-date=25 January 2018 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210053559/https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?keywords=maumahara |url-status=live }}</ref> a memorial enquiry centre, was established,<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/education/school-programmes/plan-a-class-visit/research-library-pou-maumahara |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128065317/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/education/school-programmes/plan-a-class-visit/research-library-pou-maumahara |archive-date=28 January 2018 |title=Research Library & Pou Maumahara |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=24 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/blog/2016/the-people-of-pou-maumahara |title=The people of Pou Maumahara |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |date=21 October 2016 |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=17 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217071426/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/blog/2016/the-people-of-pou-maumahara |url-status=live }}</ref> and in 2017, the museum opened ''Pou Kanohi: New Zealand at War'', a new permanent exhibition designed "to tell young people about the country's experiences of WWI".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/war-stories-told-for-a-new-generation/UVKANBBESQCFT5BGEXHGYG653U/ |title=War stories told for a new generation |last=Christian |first=Dionne |date=10 October 2017 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210053601/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/war-stories-told-for-a-new-generation/UVKANBBESQCFT5BGEXHGYG653U/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Parts of the museum, as well as the Cenotaph and its surrounding consecrated grounds (Court of Honour) in front of the museum, also serve as a war memorial, mainly to those who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. There are two "Halls of Memory" within the museum, whose walls, together with a number of additional marble slabs, list the names of all known New Zealand soldiers from the Auckland Region killed in major conflicts during the 20th century.<ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/top-floor/world-war-one-hall-of-memories |title=World War One Hall of Memories |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |quote=The top floor of the museum is dedicated to the memory of fallen soldiers and included within the war memorial galleries is the spectacular World War One Hall of Memories. |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130174457/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/galleries/top-floor/world-war-one-hall-of-memories |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/galleries/top-floor |title=Galleries: Top floor |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=27 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127233239/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/galleries/top-floor |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association|RSA]] representatives have noted that the Cenotaph area is in need of renovation, and also would like measures put in place that ensure the area is treated with more respect by people using the park or visiting the museum. Auckland City was considering replacement the old concrete paving with granite and basalt pavers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/rsa-and-museum-seek-cenotaph-upgrade/WNK5TCWRF4ZMDATLOWPODIXMRY/ |title=RSA and museum seek Cenotaph upgrade |last=Orsman |first=Bernard |date=2 January 2006 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210053559/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/rsa-and-museum-seek-cenotaph-upgrade/WNK5TCWRF4ZMDATLOWPODIXMRY/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This was apparently decided against, possibly for cost reasons. The city has however conducted substantial remedial works, to improve the condition of the existing Court of Honour, including repairs to and lighting of the steps, uplighting of the Cenotaph, as well as general cleaning and a new interpretive engraving provided by the Auckland RSA.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/projects/museum/achieve.asp |title=Museum and Cenotaph master plan |publisher=[[Auckland City Council]] |access-date=26 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015234224/http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/projects/museum/achieve.asp |archive-date=15 October 2008}}</ref>

In early 2010, [[Auckland City Council]] started work in front of the Court of Honour, up to then taken up by a smaller car park. The area was changed to provide a new water feature, and walkways and other infrastructure were also upgraded. Work around the court was completed in mid-2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/news/council/201002/14/a09.asp |title=Museum upgrade begins |date=14 February 2010 |work=City Scene |publisher=[[Auckland City Council]] |access-date=15 February 2010}}{{dead link|date=October 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

== Governance ==
[[File:Roger Lins Royal Society Auckland 2023 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Roger Lins in 2023]]

The museum is governed by a [[Board of directors|trust board]],<ref name=":24">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/corporate-information/taumata-a-iwi |title=About Us: Taumata-ā-Iwi |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=30 January 2018 |archive-date=27 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127201055/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/corporate-information/taumata-a-iwi |url-status=dead }}</ref> and has an executive management team headed by a director.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/corporate-information/executive-team-trust-board |title=Executive Team and Trust Board |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130110738/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/corporate-information/executive-team-trust-board |url-status=live }}</ref> The board's duties, functions and powers, and its responsibilities to ten statutory objectives are set out in the Auckland War Memorial Museum Act 1996.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |url=http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/local/1996/0004/latest/whole.html |title=Auckland War Memorial Museum Act 1996 |website=New Zealand Legislation |publisher=Parliamentary Counsel Office |language=en-NZ |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=31 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131001116/http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/local/1996/0004/latest/whole.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Paramount amongst its responsibilities is the trusteeship and guardianship of the museum and its extensive collections of treasures and scientific materials.

The Act also tasks the board with the appointment of a Māori Committee of no less than five members, known as the Taumata-ā-Iwi. The Taumata-ā-Iwi is founded upon the principle of [[Mana (Oceanian mythology)|''mana whenua'']] (customary authority of and over ancestral land), and comprises [[Ngāti Whātua]], [[Ngāti Pāoa]] and [[Waikato Tainui|Tainui]].<ref name="TaumataKaupapa">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/corporate-information/taumata-a-iwi/taumata-a-iwi-kaupapa |title=Taumata-ā-Iwi Kaupapa |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |language=mi |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=27 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127201108/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/corporate-information/taumata-a-iwi/taumata-a-iwi-kaupapa |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Guiding">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/corporate-information/taumata-a-iwi/guiding-principles-taumata-a-iwi-trust-board |title=Taumata-ā-Iwi Guiding Principles |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130111347/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/corporate-information/taumata-a-iwi/guiding-principles-taumata-a-iwi-trust-board |url-status=live }}</ref> The committee is "responsible for the provision of advice and assistance to the Trust Board in a series of matters as set out in the Act,"<ref name=":24" /> including matters provided for in the [[Treaty of Waitangi]].<ref name=":13" />{{Rp||at= § 16 (8)}} The Act further "empowers the Taumata-ā-Iwi to give advice on all matters of Māori protocol within the Museum and between the Museum and Māori people at large",<ref name=":25">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/corporate-information/taumata-a-iwi/governance-principles |title=Taumata-ā-Iwi: Governance principles |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=30 January 2018 |archive-date=27 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127201103/http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/about-us/corporate-information/taumata-a-iwi/governance-principles |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Rp||at=Principle I|quote=The Auckland War Memorial Museum Act 1996 empowers the Taumata-ā-Iwi to give advice on all matters of Māori protocol within the Museum and between the Museum and Māori people at large. Museum policies will reflect the aspirations of both Treaty partners by acknowledging that existing and proposed policies will be reviewed by the Taumata-ā-Iwi, and recommendations to the Auckland Museum Trust Board will be made accordingly.}} codified in the committee's governance principles as "the right to advise".<ref name=":25" /><ref name="Guiding"/><ref name="TaumataKaupapa"/>

The Auckland Museum Institute has a role in the governance of Auckland Museum by appointing four members to the Museum Trust Board. The institute was established in 1867 and is an independent voluntary run organisation. It is the Auckland branch of the [[Royal Society Te Apārangi|Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi]] and also does public outreach and education.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |title=History of the Auckland Museum Institute |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/membership/membership-types/ami/about-ami/ami-history |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=27 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127221236/https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/membership/membership-types/ami/about-ami/ami-history |url-status=live }}</ref> Council members listed for 2022/2023 are: Dr Roger Lins (President), [[Marilyn Kohlhase]] (Vice President), Marguerite Durling, Phil Lascelles, Angela Lassig, Rae Nield, Daniel Pouwels, Alison Preston (Treasurer) and Moth Sutherland-Tupp.<ref name=":14"/>

===Secretaries, curators and directors===
* 1852–1857: [[John Alexander Smith (curator)|John Alexander Smith]]
* 1857–1859: George Eliott Eliott
* 1859–1864: Elwin Brodie Dickson
* 1864–1865: E. Watkins
* 1865–1867: Thomas Francis Winstanley
* 1867–1869: [[Frederick Hutton (scientist)|Frederick Wollaston Hutton]] {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FGS}}
* 1869–1873: [[Thomas Kirk (botanist)|Thomas Kirk]]
* 1874–1923: [[Thomas Frederick Cheeseman]]
* 1924–1964: Sir [[Gilbert Archey]] {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CBE|FRSNZ}}
* 1964–1979: [[Graham Turbott|Evan Graham Turbott]] {{post-nominals|country=NZL|QSO}}
* 1979–1993: [[Stuart Park (museum director)|Graham Stuart Park]]
* 1994–2007: [[Rodney Wilson (museum director)|Rodney Wilson]] {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CNZM}}
* 2007–2010: [[Vanda Vitali]]
* 2010–2011: Sir [[Don McKinnon]] {{post-nominals|country=NZL|ONZ|GCVO}}
* 2011–2016: [[Roy Clare]] {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE}}
* 2017–2023: [[David Gaimster]]
* 2023–present: David Reeves
<ref name="Park1998">{{cite Q|Q58623224}}</ref><ref name="NZ18590119.2.11">{{cite news |title=The Auckland Museum |work=The New-Zealander |volume=15 |issue=1331 |date=19 January 1859 |page=3 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZ18590119.2.11 |via=[[Papers Past]] |access-date=18 April 2023 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418232241/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZ18590119.2.11 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Springer2002">{{cite journal |last=Springer |first=Randal |title=The Clerical Botanist: Elwin Brodie Dickson |journal=Wellington Botanical Society Bulletin |volume=48 |date=2002 |publisher=Wellington Botanical Society |location=Wellington |pages=51–68 |url=https://bts.nzpcn.org.nz/site/assets/files/22735/wbs48-2002-51-68-dickson.pdf |access-date=18 April 2023 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418233742/https://bts.nzpcn.org.nz/site/assets/files/22735/wbs48-2002-51-68-dickson.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="DSC18650728.2.10">{{cite news |title=The Daily Southern Cross |volume=21 |issue=2503 |date=28 July 1865 |page=4 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18650728.2.10 |via=[[Papers Past]] |access-date=18 April 2023 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418232239/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18650728.2.10 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NZH18670607.2.2.5">{{cite news |title=The Auckland Museum |work=The New Zealand Herald |volume=4 |issue=1112 |date=7 June 1867 |page=1 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18670607.2.2.5 |access-date=12 April 2023 |archive-date=14 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414070159/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18670607.2.2.5 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Directors">{{citation |author=Auckland War Memorial Museum |title=Honours Board: "Directors of Auckland Museum, Auckland Institute and Museum, Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Auckland War Memorial Museum" (1852–), Whaowhia Room, Auckland Museum |date=26 January 2018 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Directors_of-Auckland_Museum-board.jpg |access-date=23 April 2019 |archive-date=11 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011073526/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Directors_of-Auckland_Museum-board.jpg |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release |date=21 August 2023 |title=Auckland Museum Appoints New Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive |work=Scoop News |url=https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2308/S00275/auckland-museum-appoints-new-tumu-whakarae-chief-executive.htm |access-date=21 August 2023 |archive-date=21 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821045329/https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2308/S00275/auckland-museum-appoints-new-tumu-whakarae-chief-executive.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Auckland Museum Medals ==
[[File:Mike_D._Wilcox.jpg|thumb|New Zealand botanist [[Mike D. Wilcox]] becoming an Associate Emeritus of Auckland War Memorial Museum in 2019]]
{{main|Auckland Museum Medals}}

Since 1999, Auckland War Memorial Museum has regularly awarded the [[Auckland Museum Medals]] to recognise research and public service achievements. Recipients have included botanist [[Lucy Cranwell]], historian and academic [[Ranginui Walker]], artist [[Mary Ama]] and [[Ngāti Whātua]] paramount chief and academic [[Hugh Kāwharu]].<ref name="AMMedals">{{cite web |title=Museum Medals |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/your-museum/get-involved/museum-medals |access-date=9 July 2024 |website=Auckland War Memorial Museum}}</ref><ref name="2023AMMedals">{{cite news |date=1 July 2024 |title=Cook Islander Mary Ama awarded Museum Medal for her contributions to preserving culture |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/520950/cook-islander-mary-ama-awarded-museum-medal-for-her-contributions-to-preserving-culture |access-date=9 July 2024 |website=[[Radio New Zealand]]}}</ref>

== Controversies ==
{{criticism section|date=November 2024}}

=== Hillary estate ===
The papers and memorabilia of the late [[Sir Edmund Hillary]], the first man to reach the summit of [[Mount Everest]], are held in the museum. In 2009, the museum was involved in legal action with Hillary's children, [[Peter Hillary|Peter]] and Sarah Hillary, over publishing rights to his papers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/museum-backs-chief-over-hillary-row/BOPCA2GTUMKJ2TGZ4YT7LU4DIE/ |title=Museum backs chief over Hillary row |last=Davison |first=Isaac |date=18 May 2009 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210053604/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/museum-backs-chief-over-hillary-row/BOPCA2GTUMKJ2TGZ4YT7LU4DIE/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[New Zealand Prime Minister]] [[John Key]] offered to mediate, and his offer was accepted and the matter resolved amicably.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/keys-involvement-solved-dispute-peter-hillary/ONMZ4FWY4LH5YUZT7PMTGYEO6U/ |title=Key's involvement solved dispute – Peter Hillary |date=20 July 2009 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210053601/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/keys-involvement-solved-dispute-peter-hillary/ONMZ4FWY4LH5YUZT7PMTGYEO6U/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/all/files/PM_Joint_Media_Statement.pdf |title=Issued on behalf of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and Peter and Sarah Hillary |publisher=[[New Zealand Government]] |date=20 July 2009 |author1=Board of the Auckland War Memorial Museum |first2=Peter |last2=Hillary |author-link2=Peter Hillary |first3=Sarah |last3=Hillary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918154202/https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/all/files/PM_Joint_Media_Statement.pdf |archive-date=18 September 2017}}</ref> In 2013 the Sir Edmund Hillary Archive was registered on the UNESCO New Zealand Memory of the World.<ref name="UNESCO_MoW-NZregister"/>

=== Vitali tenure ===
The appointment and activities of [[Vanda Vitali]], a Canadian citizen who served as director from 2007 until her resignation in 2010, saw a number of disputed changes in the museum, with multiple staff members being made redundant, or having to reapply for their positions. The museum also charged a controversial "donation" for entry (while still claiming to provide free entry), despite a museum levy being part of the regional rates.<ref name="MESS">{{cite news |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/opinion/3455991/Don-t-mess-with-an-historic-name |title=Don't mess with an historic name |last=Booth |first=Pat |date=16 March 2010 |work=Manukau Courier |publisher=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210053601/http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/opinion/3455991/Don-t-mess-with-an-historic-name |url-status=live }}</ref>

Vitali was roundly criticised for her actions by a number of former staff and public figures, such as editorialist Pat Booth, who accused her of downplaying the "War Memorial" element of the museum name and function,<ref name="MESS"/> as well as by former finance head of the museum, Jon Cowan, who in a letter to the ''New Zealand Herald'' argued after her resignation that she was responsible for a significant fall in visitor numbers and visitor satisfaction during her tenure. He also claimed that these statistics had ceased to be published in the second year of Vitali's work at the museum, given the clear negative trends of her initial year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Reader's Forum |last=Cowan |first=John |date=25 March 2010 |work=Museum statistics – letter to the editor in [[The New Zealand Herald]] |pages=A10}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline|Auckland War Memorial Museum}}
* {{official website}}

{{authority control}}
{{MuseumAuckland}}
{{Parnell, New Zealand}}

[[Category:Auckland War Memorial Museum| ]]
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