Vandalised Te Papa treaty exhibit to be taken down
Thursday, 18 April 2024
A Te Papa exhibit that was defaced during a protest is being taken down, months after the incident.
The museums co-leaders said leaving the exhibit up had sparked good conversations, but it was time to take it down while they made a new exhibition.
The Te Papa Treaty of Waitangi Exhibit, which was vandalised in December, is being taken down.
Protesters climbed the exhibit at Te Papa Museum in Wellington and defaced the English version of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The group, Te Waka Hourua, entered the museum and used spray paint and a power tool to damage the exhibit.
The group said the English version of the treaty perpetuated a “dangerous lie” that was “long used by the government to trample Māori rights and enforce colonial rule on the land and its people.”
On Thursday, the Te Papa co-leaders, Arapata Hakiwai and Courtney Johnston said that next week the museum would replace the display panel in the Signs of a Nation exhibit.
“The space will re-open with a temporary display while we create a completely new exhibition.
“Keeping the panel in place temporarily has led to some valuable conversations, but it is right that we change the space now, and take this step towards the development of a brand-new exhibition.”
Leaked emails to Stuff showed that over two years ago a Te Papa executive promised protesters that the Signs of a Nation exhibit would be renewed and replaced.
The email, from October 26, 2021 shows Te Papa Director of Audience and Insights Puawai Cairns telling Te Waka Hourua that the museum was in the early stages of “renewing and replacing that exhibition.”
“The display is more than 20 years old and we recognise that ways of communicating about the Treaty have changed considerably since then.
“It needs to evolve, and it will”, she promised.
When asked in December what had happened to the review and replacement that was promised two years ago, Te Papa spokesperson Kate Camp said at the time they were expecting to initiate a project to review and renew the space.
“The project was not initiated and the work has not begun, beyond high level discussions.”
Te Waka Hourua spokesperson Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn has previously called the exhibit malinformation – as she believes Te Papa has been told enough times that it’s an inaccurate representation of Te Tiriti.
”I’m grieving – I’ve found myself going through the different stages of grief.”