Tūhura Otago Museum

17/06/2026

Back by popular demand and selling fast.

Celebrate Matariki with the Dunedin Children’s Choir at Tūhura Otago Museum.

Enjoy an uplifting evening of music inspired by the stars, the seasons, and the spirit of Matariki. Perfect for all ages, this special performance is followed by a planetarium show exploring the nine stars of the Matariki cluster and their significance in te ao Māori.

Saturday 20 June

Dunedin Children’s Choir
Doors open 5.00pm
Performance begins 6.00pm
Atrium Level 1

Planetarium Screenings
5.15pm, 5.45pm, 6.45pm and 7.15pm

Tickets
$10 Adult
$5 Child/Concession
$25 Family Pass

Planetarium admission included with choir ticket.
Bookings essential.

Tūhura Otago Museum is delighted to host the Dunedin Children’s Choir for a joyful celebration of the Māori New Year.

15/06/2026

What does it feel like to witness extinction?

Our latest exhibition, Before the Silence, invites visitors into the world of the hoiho through striking photography, immersive projection and sound.

Created by photographer Astrid Erasmuson, the exhibition explores landscapes where hoiho still remain, and places where they have already vanished, prompting reflection on loss, connection and conservation.

Beautiful Science Gallery
13 June - 6 September
Free entry

12/06/2026

Our friend Suzy Cato a new episode of You & Me out now, featuring our Tropical Forest and some of the amazing creatures that call it home.

Make sure you check it out, especially around the 15-minute mark, to see some familiar faces.

Can you spotted your favourite Tropical Forest resident?

Kia ora e hoa! Hello my friend!Welcome to you the You and Me whar...

11/06/2026

Settle in for a star-studded double feature in our Planetarium: John Wick and a live space tour.

We’ll get the night started by checking out the action-packed lives of stars in a guided tour of outer space. Find out how stars are visible from so far away and what their life cycle looks like.

After coming back to Earth, we'll watch a former assassin step out of retirement to ruthlessly dismantle a gang that wronged him in John Wick.

Schedule
5.30pm – Night Sky Live
6.00pm – Intermission
6.15pm – John Wick (rated R16 graphic violence & offensive language, runtime 101 minutes)

Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase.

5.30pm – 8pm, Friday 19 June
Tūhura Planetarium
$20 – Bookings Essential
https://otagomuseum.nz/whats-on/john-wick

08/06/2026

Great kōrero on Breakfast this morning with our Collections Technician Pasifika, Jonika Edgecombe.

A wonderful showcase of the passion, expertise and hard work that has gone into creating our community’s new gallery, Tangata Moana. This is a fantastic achievement for the Museum and an important celebration of Pacific stories, culture and identity for Otago and Aotearoa.

Check it out from 2:23 in the programme.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/tvseries/breakfast

07/06/2026

Yesterday we celebrated the opening of our new Tangata Moana Gallery.

This special new space has been created alongside Pasifika communities to celebrate the stories, cultures, traditions and connections of Pacific peoples. It is a gallery shaped by the community, for the community, and one that reflects the voices and experiences of those it represents.

Home to incredible taonga and collection items from across the Pacific, the gallery combines meaningful storytelling, thoughtful design and community knowledge to create something truly special.

A project like this takes a huge team effort. Thank you firstly to all amazing communities involved, also to our Collections, Facilities, Design and Marketing teams for their hard work that brought this gallery to life. Thank you also to our Events and Front of House teams, who delivered a fantastic opening celebration yesterday.

Filled with music, kai, friendship and community, it was a fitting way to mark an important moment for Tūhura and for the many people who have contributed to this journey.

Most importantly, thank you to our Pasifika communities for sharing their knowledge, guidance and stories with us. We are incredibly proud of what we have created together.

Fakafetai lava. Meitaki ma’ata. Malo ’aupito. Vinaka vakalevu.

05/06/2026

After plenty of hard work and many hours behind the scenes, the final touches are being added to our brand new Tangata Moana Gallery ahead of its opening at dawn tomorrow.

A reminder that Tūhura Otago Museum will be closed for this special occasion until midday, when the gallery and museum will open to the public.

Although the opening is invite only, feel free to watch it live on our YouTube page here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l_55Mgbli3g&ra=m

We cannot wait for you all to experience this incredible new space.

03/06/2026

How does the brain store memories?

Join Emeritus Distinguished Professor Cliff Abraham FRSNZ, winner of the 2025 Rutherford Medal, as he explores how connections between nerve cells help us remember, and why we sometimes forget.

Discover how decades of research are unlocking new possibilities for treating memory decline and neurological disorders.

Thursday 18 June, 6pm
Hutton Theatre
Free, bookings essential
Nibbles provided

Hosted by the Royal Society Te Apārangi, with support from the Otago Institute for the Arts and Sciences.

https://otagomuseum.nz/whats-on/our-mysterious-brain

03/06/2026

A major milestone for Tūhura Otago Museum and our Pasifika communities

Our team is busy putting the final touches on Tangata Moana (People of the Ocean), our newest permanent gallery.

This is a significant moment for Pasifika communities across Otago and Aotearoa, and for the Museum itself. The gallery will showcase one of the most internationally significant Pacific collections in the world, sharing the rich stories, cultures and connections of the peoples of the Pacific.

To mark this historic occasion, Tūhura Otago Museum will be closed until 12pm this Saturday while we host a private opening ceremony and blessing with invited guests, community leaders and partners who have helped bring this vision to life.

We look forward to welcoming the wider community from 12pm onwards to experience Tangata Moana and explore this remarkable new gallery.

Thank you for your understanding as we celebrate this special occasion. We can’t wait to share it with you.

02/06/2026

Beyond proud of Shanaya and Annah, and the incredible team behind them, from Marketing and Collections to our Facilities crew.

Seeing their work featured on Seven Sharp tonight was fantastic. To stand alongside some of the best museums in the world with a fraction of the staff and budget really highlights the talent, creativity, and hard work of our team.

Make sure you check it out. Their story starts around the six-minute mark.

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/tvseries/seven-sharp

Dunedin NZ Seven Sharp