There is a long tradition of museum visitors wanting to take home a piece of what they’ve experienced.
Te Papa’s head of retail, Tania Tupu, works closely with curators at the national museum, and artists from across Aotearoa, to produce bespoke items which reflect the unique experience that is Te Papa.
For the past five years, Ms Tupu has been gradually refreshing the store’s product base. A focus on Aotearoa design, craft and academia has seen the brand go from museum gift shop to boutique lifestyle store. Working directly with independent carvers or collectives such as Sands Carving Studio has resulted in an impressive collection of stunning taonga, while collaborations with artists like Robin Kahukiwa have cemented the store firmly in the Aotearoa art scene.
This is all made possible, of course, by the foundations of knowledge and respect that come with being part of the national museum. Being able to tap into the curators and academics behind the scenes provides mana which Ms Tupu hopes is present in the resulting products.
This year’s collection of gifts for the Christmas period tap into all the aspect of Aotearoa that Te Papa celebrates, from design to artisan craft and especially, food. New Zealanders have always produced incredible artisan food products, but the appreciation for these increased in recent years, with it being one of the few things we could indulge in during lockdown.
The result is a carefully curated selection of products from the likes of Fix and Fogg and Wellington Chocolate factory, along with less well-known (for now) producers like the Kiwi Artisan Co, who make small batch olive oil, paired with beautiful ceramics from Kiwi legend Bill Steiner to serve it in, and books from our food scene stars such as Monique Fiso of Hiakai. Te Papa Store can really provide the whole package for your foodie Christmas.
Shop the range online at tepapastore.co.nz, in store at the museum, or at Wellington Airport.
