2015 New Zealand Museum Awards recognise a year of commemorations and celebrations

Air New Zealand 75 Years, First World War projects by Toitū and Expressions, science explained at MOTAT, Mataura and Hawke's Bay social history  were among an exciting range of exhibitions and projects acknowledged at the recent New Zealand Museum Awards.

The eighth edition of the annual Awards brought together museum professionals, exhibition designers, supporters and sponsors.

Sponsored by ServiceIQ, the industry training organisation for museums, tourism and other service sectors, the 2015 Awards saw the introduction of a new award for Visitor Experience, won by the Waihi Gold Discovery Centre.

Museums Aotearoa Executive Director Phillipa Tocker praised the high standard of the 2015 award, stating “the number of entries and their standard just keeps going up – with the bar getting higher every year, the Awards are becoming even more inspirational.

“And the best thing is that we can celebrate not only the winners, but all the fantastic work being presented nationally".

The Awards were presented during Museums Aotearoa's annual conference, MA15 – Communicating Culture. 

MA15 was been hosted by Otago Museum, with generous support from Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Toitū, and other Dunedin cultural institutions including Hocken Collections, Olveston and Larnach Castle. 

New Zealand Museum Awards 2015

Best Exhibition over $20,000
WINNER: Air New Zealand, Workshop e & Te Papa - Air New Zealand 75 Years: Our Nation. The World. Connected
Finalist: City Gallery Wellington - Yvonne Todd: Creamy Psychology
Finalist: MTG Hawke's Bay - Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan - Travel in Style
Highly Commended: Toitū Otago Settlers Museum - Dunedin's Great War

Best Exhibition under $20,000
WINNER: MTG Hawke's Bay - Dr Felkin and the Forerunners: Visions of Utopia, 1900-1930
Finalist: Dunedin Public Art Gallery - Wonderwall
Finalist: Expressions Arts and Entertainment Centre - WWI: Tracing the Footsteps from Trentham
Finalist: New Zealand Maritime Museum - Messing about in boats

Best Museum Project
JOINT WINNER: Mataura Museum - Reinventing the Mataura Museum
JOINT WINNER: Toitū Otago Settlers Museum - Journey of the Otagos
Finalist: Havelock Museum - Museum Redevelopment – a campaign to free Havelock's history
Finalist: Locales - Rangihoua Heritage Park

ServiceIQ Best Museum Visitor Experience
Prize: professional development sponsored by ServiceIQ
WINNER Waihi Gold Discovery Centre
Finalist: Canterbury Museum
Finalist: Click Suite (in association with Museum Victoria) - Future Cities

Most Innovative Public Programme
WINNER: Expressions Art & Entertainment Centre - First World War Regimental Dinner
Finalist: Dowse Art Museum - Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon
Finalist: New Zealand Maritime Museum - Sister Anzac
Finalist: Waipu Museum - Public Programme 2013-2015

Most Innovative use of Te Reo Māori
WINNER: MOTAT - Welcome to the Machine - Nau mai ki te Mīhini
Finalist: City Gallery Wellington - Johnson Witehira: Toituhi education project
Finalist: MTG Hawke's Bay - Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan - Travel in Style

Museums Aotearoa is the professional association for New Zealand's public museums and art galleries and those who work in and support them.

New Zealand museums and public galleries care for more than 40 million items relating to New Zealand’s history, culture and creativity. Generating in excess of 1,000 public exhibitions and publications and attracting well over 12 million visits each year, museums and galleries are ranked as a top attraction for New Zealand's overseas visitors.

For more information go to www.museumsaotearoa.org.nz

ServiceIQ is the industry training organisation (ITO) for the aviation, hospitality, retail, travel, tourism, museums and wholesale sectors.

For more information go to www.ServiceIQ.org.nz

Image shows the Waihi Gold Discovery Centre.

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