Job Description

Curator NZ Histories and Cultures
Fixed Term until September 2026 (to cover for parental leave)

Salary: $79,299 - $94,167

Help build a New Zealand History and Cultures collection for Aotearoa New Zealand's national museum.

An opportunity to contribute to sustaining a vigorous New Zealand History and Cultures collection and research base for Te Papa and to support our Exhibition/Experience programme.

You will work closely with other curators, collection managers, our exhibition development team and others in the organisation to:

• strengthen and develop collections;
• undertake research to add to collection-related scholarship and Mātauranga Māori;
• share the collections with the public and other institutions;

• assist the team in answering relevant internal and external enquiries as necessary.

You will be part of a small and busy team so you will need to be able to work across the range of curatorial tasks including working with communities, research, writing and cataloguing.

The ideal person for this position will have:

• A good knowledge and experience of New Zealand material culture, social history and related theory and scholarship.
• A Masters/PhD or equivalent experience and skills in historical or material culture research in relation to New Zealand history.
• A personal record of research and inquiry in your chosen field or speciality.
• Experience of working with objects, collections and forms of intangible knowledge.
• Experience and comfort in communicating in a range of forms and media to diverse audiences.
• A network of experts, communities and stakeholders you can bring to complement the team's existing contacts.
• Good computer skills with the ability and willingness to work with, and contribute to information databases, such as the EMu collection management system.

About us

Te Papa is Aotearoa New Zealand's national museum, renowned for being bicultural, research-driven, and innovative. Our success is built on our relationships with and our ability to represent communities who have connections to the collections in our care. Our vision is for a Tiriti-based museum, where a collective commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi is fostered and Māori exercise tino rangatiratanga.

The starting salary for this position will be between $79,299 to $94,167 with opportunity for progression through the band. Offers will be made within the range to reflect the skills and experience offered by the candidate and internal relativities.

Applicants must have the ability to obtain and maintain the legal right to work in New Zealand. Prior to Te Papa confirming any offer of employment, pre-employment checks will be undertaken including criminal conviction history and reference checking as a minimum.

Applications close: 5pm, 31 July 2025

Contact: Paul Diamond, Head of NZ and Pacific Histories and Cultures: Paul.Diamond@tepapa.govt.nz
Please apply online, applications will not be accepted via email.