Otago and Tairāwhiti Museum clean up at NZ Museum Awards

Tairāwhiti Museum in Gisborne has scooped two awards at this years’ Service Q NZ Museum Awards winning in both the Exhibition Excellence Taonga Maori category and the Kia Toi Te Reo, Most Innovative Use of Māori for their ‘TaoNgā Pare-Mata: Managtū Taonga Returned’ exhibition.

‘This exhibition, seeded in the community, is a fine example of collaboration and celebration for all museums to follow on the power of taonga to bring people together.’ said judge Paora Tibble.

Otago Museum were also big winners on the night taking home the Most Innovative Education Programme, Most Innovative Public Programme and Arts Access Aotearoa Museums Award for three different exhibitions.

Judge Judith Jones said of the ‘iNDX’ exhibition, winner of the Arts Access Aotearoa Award, ‘This collaboration with the autistic community and advocates to create an exhibition of work by autistic artists really wowed us and had an impact far beyond the gallery space.’

Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, MOTAT, Nelson Provincial Museum Pupuri Taonga o te Tai Ao and Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira were also winners on the night.

Overall the judges were overwhelmed by the quality of entries received from museums all around the country.

“Our museums should all be very proud of the work that they have achieved. There were some fabulous entries from museums from Waikato to Southland and it was no mean feat to choose winners,’ said Phillipa Tocker, Executive Director of Museums Aotearoa.

The Awards were presented at a ceremony in Te Papa on Wednesday 22 May as part of the Museums Aotearoa Annual Conference currently being held in Wellington and bringing together museums and galleries staff from across the country.

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