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International Day for Biodiversity 2026

The theme of this years International Day for Biological Diversity is “Acting locally for global impact.” It acts as a reminder that biodiversity recovery begins with local action—planting trees, removing predators, restoring habitats, and protecting the natural spaces around us.

A forest in the city: What birds of the Auckland Domain are telling us

When we think of Auckland’s native forests, our minds often jump to remote islands or rugged bush reserves at the city’s edge. But deep in the heart of our bustling city lies an unexpected haven for native birds — the Auckland Domain.

The Secret Life of the Land Crabs from Rangitāhua

Rangitāhua, a remote archipelago about 1,000 km Northeast of mainland, is home to crabs that live their entire adult lives on land. In this blog, learn about the lives and research being done to learn more about Aotearoa New Zealand’s only land crab species.

Women in Wartime

Auckland Museum’s Women in Wartime event showcased the stories of nurse Nina May Palmer and Warrant Officer Catherine Frances Bryers, spotlighting women’s often-overlooked wartime roles. Hosted in July 2025, it demonstrated how Online Cenotaph and Wikipedia collaborate to broaden access, counter systemic bias, and amplify women’s histories through the Women in Red movement.

The Poetry of Queen Sālote

Queen Sālote Tupou III was one of Tonga’s greatest monarchs. She reigned over Tonga for 48 years, longer than any Tongan monarch, from 1918-1965. Considered as the one of the epochs of a cultural revitalisation in Tonga, Queen Sālote composed over 100 songs and poems, each using traditional Tongan metrics and poetics to highlight Tongan history, culture and the Royal Family.

Karoro

When you think of gulls in Auckland you probably picture a large black-backed pirate, swooping down to snatch hot chips at the beach, but new research is revealing just how remarkable these birds really are.

A lasting impression

After a large storm hit the Auckland region, Matthew Brown and Ava Peters made an unexpected discovery. The couple came across a large piece of sandstone that had slipped down from the cliff above, displaying the footprints of a large bird. Only one bird in Aotearoa could have left footprints quite that large, the moa.

Vibe Check: Monitoring Vibrations

How do you protect the collections from something you can't see? Vibrations are actually one of the most dangerous hazards to taonga, but they're often imperceptible to the naked eye. Read on to learn about Summer Student Luke Bishop's creation that will help protect our collections from this invisible threat.

A day in the life

What's it like to go on a scientific expedition in the middle of the ocean? Find out as Associate Curator Dr Marina Klemm takes us on Te Mana o Rangitāhua where whale-spotting, water-sampling and much more is part of the daily routine.

Introducing the dermestid beetles!

One of the Museum’s hardest working teams, does some pretty grimy work. They’re also our tiniest workers by a long way. Introducing, the dermestid beetles. Their role is to prepare skeleton specimens for our Natural Sciences Department.

Toe be or not toe be?

What can bird toe pads and their genetic footprint reveal about the Pacific parrots of the past? Blog by Patricia Pillay, Auckland Museum Institute Scholar 2024.

Sharing Biodiversity Records in Fiji

In this blog, Kelly Brown, the Curator of Marine Collection at the University of the South Pacific, talks about our collaborative work and the importance of record sharing through data aggregators such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

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