Tiny or colossal, Te Papa's science collection is our heritage
Wednesday, 18 July 2018
OPINION: The biggest science celebrity at Te Papa is the colossal squid. Caught by commercial fishers near Antarctica, it is a fitting symbol, drawing together many threads – or maybe tentacles – of the museum's work in science.
Pulled from the deep by commercial fishers, our Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni Robson is a symbol of scientific discovery. In our 20 years, Te Papa's scientists have discovered 400 species and mounted 700 expeditions. We discover things in the lab as well as in the field: in 1995, a Te Papa insect specialist identified a new species of kiwi, based on the lice that lived in its feathers.
Our famous squid also shows the importance of relationships: it was donated by commercial fishers and studied by an international team.
New Zealand is a small country with a lot of endemic species, and Te Papa's specialists could never cover all areas of our natural world.
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We work as part of a science ecosystem. Whether in the lab with universities, or on the high seas with Niwa, collaboration is vital to our science work.
As one of our best-known collection objects, the colossal squid tells the story of our skilled collections experts. In the science area they look after everything from a massive shark to delicate moa feathers, preserving them for posterity, connecting them with researchers, and helping ensure the public can see them.
Some people ask why we need thousands of dead cicadas, or drawers of flattened pukeko. These are taxonomic collections, which show the species in all their variety. They work as a kind of reference guide, and can tell us a lot about how species live, and, in some cases, how they might be threatened.
Te Papa's taxonomic collections cover the widest range of any in the country, but there are holdings like this in 27 places around Aotearoa. For example, Landcare Research has by far the largest insect collection, while ESR hold the nation's bacteria in its trust. New Zealand's science collections play to their strengths, and their work as a team.
The best-known aspect of Te Papa's science work is exhibitions. The squid will return next year in the new permanent exhibition, Taiao Nature, an $11 million investment in science education. It draws richly on the collections with hundreds of specimens, and addresses vital science issues like clean water, earthquakes, and climate change.
As leaders at Te Papa we understand the passion people have for the national collections, whether in science, art, history or Maatauranga Māori. That passionate desire to protect our heritage and share it with the nation is what we're all here for. Caring for the collections is at the heart of what we do and that will never change.
As we honour our heritage, we also move with the times. A recent example comes in the form of a new researcher.
Remember the guy who discovered the new species of kiwi from its lice? When Dr Ricardo Palma retired, we asked the New Zealand science community where we should focus our next insect researcher. We hired Dr Julia Kasper, whose research includes looking at mosquitoes, and how they might reflect the impacts of climate change in New Zealand.
As the national museum of a small country, we can't do everything. But we can target our science and work with others to be part of the national picture.
Wherever our focus, we will always honour our duty to care for New Zealand's heritage. As well as the occasional deep-sea rock star.
Dr Dean Peterson is a chemical physicist who has held senior roles at Nasa, Antarctica New Zealand, the Marsden Fund, and Callaghan Innovation.