Te Papa will be open as usual tomorrow Friday 30 July after a building evacuation today.

The museum was evacuated around 2.30pm Thursday after a suspicious item was found by Te Papa security staff.

The item was inspected by specialist police teams and found to be harmless.

However, the circumstances of it being left at Te Papa were suspicious and Te Papa is supporting police with their investigation.

Hundreds of visitors and staff were evacuated from the museum including the Civil Contractors NZ conference.

Staff and visitors were able to return to the building shortly after 5pm once the site had been cleared by police.

Chief Executive | Tumu Whakarae Courtney Johnston thanked people for their understanding.

“The safety of people is our greatest priority,” Ms Johnston said.

“We appreciate the rapid actions of police and Te Papa staff to manage the incident and keep everyone safe.”

“We know this has been a real pain for our clients, visitors and staff and we appreciate everyone’s understanding.”

Those evacuated from the building waited in winter sunshine on Te Papa’s forecourt.

“The sun was shining but it was pretty nippy out there today for those standing around,” Ms Johnston said.

On June 8 2018, Te Papa was closed after a suspicious package was found around 6pm, resulting in the postponement of a school ball. A man was later charged by police in connection with the incident.

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