Frequently Asked Questions

Your questions answered

Have a question about joining, renewing, or attending Friends events? Browse our frequently asked questions below, or contact the Friends office if you need more assistance.

  • All new memberships are set-up as a yearly subscription. We will email you letting you know when your membership is due to renew. This will happen automatically, you do not need to do anything.

    If you prefer, you can phone the office (04) 381 7051 to renew over the phone by credit card.

  • Please contact us if you would like to end your membership.

  • All new membership purchases will automatically renew, one year after the initial purchase. Our payment provider Stripe handles the repeat

    If you have changed your payment to manual or subscribed before November 2023 then please contact us.

  • Please contact us to set up a manual renewal.

  • Yes, once we’ve processed your renewal you’ll receive your new card in the post. This is usually completed within 10 working days.

  • Absolutely! A Friends of Te Papa membership makes for a perfect gift that lasts all year. Please contact us to set this up.

  • You can do this by calling the office on 04 381 7051 or email the office on friends@tepapa.govt.nz

  • We have a very strict privacy policy and you can be assured that your information is not shared with third parties. Your information is stored on our secured online database and is only seen by the Friends office and committee when necessary. We use your data to keep you up to date with services and events.

  • To ensure your security, credit card details are sent through a secure payment server. We neither see nor store credit card details from your online payments. For phone orders, where you give us your credit card details, these are not retained after the transaction is completed. The currency referred to is New Zealand dollars. Stripe offers a service in which you can save payment information to your account for future purchases’ on the payment page. These details are not saved on the Friends of Te Papa website, but are stored in a secure vault on the Stripe site.

  • Yes you can. Email the office friends@tepapa.govt.nz and we will send an email confirmation of your membership status, which you can use as a temporary card until your card arrives.

  • If you have lost your membership card we are happy to replace it. Simply email us on friends@tepapa.govt.nz or call the office on 04 381 7051.

  • Thank you very much for wanting to support the organisation and the programme we run to support the museums collections and research. Please contact us to make a donation.

  • Exhibition previews allow Friends members to view exhibitions in the museum before the general public. This is true for any paid for exhibition, renewed areas and new free exhibitions. Previews are put up as events on our website.

  • Previews are reserved for Friends members only, however non-members can join on the day and start receiving all membership benefits straight away.

  • Friends members are entitled to free parking when attending selected charged for events at Te Papa. When you renew your membership you will receive two Friends Annual Tickets for free parking passes to use whenever you wish throughout the year. These passes will not be replaced if lost or stolen as per our terms and conditions.

  • To use your Friends’ ‘entry/exit’ ticket:

    • When you arrive at the entry barrier to Te Papa’s car park, insert the enclosed ‘entry/exit’ ticket into the ticket slot on the machine. Do not press the button for a new ticket.

    • The same ‘entry/exit’ ticket will be returned to you. Retrieve it from the machine.

    • The entry barrier will lift and you can proceed into the car park.

    • When you are exiting the car park, drive directly to the exit barrier and insert the same ‘entry/exit’ ticket that you used to enter into the machine at the exit.

    • The machine will swallow your ‘entry/exit’ ticket, the exit barrier will lift and you will be released from the car park.

    • Note: you will need to check that there is a carpark available before using the parking voucher as it is automatically processed once inserted into the machine on entry.

  • Bookings can be made online or phone the Friends office (04) 381 7051. Early bookings are recommended for all Friends events.

  • Please check your email spam/junk folders before contacting us. Sometimes event tickets/confirmation gets filtered out into these folders. If you can’t find them anywhere contact the office by emailing friends@tepapa.govt.nz or phone (04) 3817051.

  • A 50% refund is given when more than 48 hours’ notice is given of a cancellation. No refunds will be given for cancellations after this time. If an event is cancelled by the Friends of Te Papa, you will be notified immediately, and a full refund will be issued.

Join Us

Be part of the Friends and enjoy exclusive exhibition previews, talks, tours, and workshops, plus discounts in Te Papa’s cafés and stores, free parking at events, and behind-the-scenes updates — all while supporting the museum’s collections, research, and programmes.

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Image credits (from top): Courtesy of Rachael Brenton-Rule 2026, Sarcophagus VUW Classics Museum, Aka. Rata, Circa 1885, New Zealand, by Sarah Featon. Purchased 1919. Te Papa (1992-0035-2277/77). Rachael Brenton-Rule 2026, Jonathan Campbell sculpture, Rachael Brenton-Rule 2026, Bust of a Roman Woman, VUW Classsics Museum. Len Lye 1947, Self Portrait (with Night Tree). Rachael Brenton-Rule, Begonia House Tour 2026.. All images are reproduced with permission and are credited to their respective copyright holders.