I AM FREE for Auckland

Auckland Museum, is renowned for its unique collection of Maori and Pacific treasures. It is also a war memorial for the Auckland province. The Museum tells the story of New Zealand as a nation; from award-winning natural history exhibits, to galleries which investigate New Zealands cultural origins. Scars on the Heart, the Museums war memorial galleries, explore New Zealanders role in conflict. More

Lucy Cranwell: Walk on the Wild Side investigates how Cranwell, one of New Zealand’s first female scientists, earned international acclaim for her ground-breaking work on the reconstruction of ancient botanical landscapes of the southern hemisphere.  Rarely seen footage, interviews, and drawings from the Museum’s extensive botany collections tell the story of a woman passionate about the outdoors. Opens on Friday 12 March. More

Illustrated Leaves showcases six centuries of illustrated books from Auckland Museum Library’s extensive collections. The exhibition is showing in the Museum’s Pictorial Gallery on the 2nd Floor.  More than just an exhibition of botanical art, Illustrated Leaves explores the shifting motivations behind the exquisite production of florilegia – a Latin word describing anthologies of flowers. More

Kai to Pie — Pie to Chai — Nosh to Posh. Whatever way you slice it, Auckland’s stories can be told through food: from the extraordinary wealth of people and cultures, to its fertile abundance of land, sun and sea, come up to the Museum for a serving of Auckland on your plate. More

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use as proof of residence?

• Rates Bill
• Utility Bill
• Greater Auckland Region library card
• Any mail to your address from an official source (e.g. bank statements, loyalty cards, telephone/internet bills, etc).

What if I have friends visiting?
Many Aucklanders will have friends and family visiting for the holidays. We will ask them for an admission contribution, because we want this to be something special for Aucklanders this summer. Please help us out by keeping our funding intact for our exhibitions and programmes by bringing your proof of Auckland residence with you and encouraging your visitors to contribute.

How come non-Aucklanders will still be asked for a donation?
Non-Aucklanders are not levied through their rates for Museum. It is important that the Museum continues to raise some of its own funding to help produce world-class programmes.

Why do we have to pay for special exhibits and programmes?
The costs of producing special exhibitions isn’t covered by our levy, so we rely on visitors that want to see the exhibitions and events to help enable us to keep producing them.

Will I need to bring ID and proof of residence for my whole family?
As long as one family member has proof of residence, then ID to prove you are related will be fine. Remember, children and students aged 15 years and under are free.

I’m a Member – I am already not asked for donation – what is in this for me?
As a Member, you may be able to visit our special exhibitions free or at a reduced cost.

‘Why do we need to bring in proof of address when entry is by donation anyway? Why can’t I just come in and say “I don’t want to make a donation”?
You can still do that if you want. But we hope you’ll bring in something to show your Auckland residency.