Puawai CairnsPuawai Cairns

Puawai Cairns (Ngāiterangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pūkenga) is kaihāpai Mātauranga Māori at Te Papa museum. She specialises in contemporary social history research and collecting to reflect the stories of Māori communities. She is currently researching and co-writing a book about the material culture of protest, and the stories of Māori activism reflected through objects.

Biculturalism in our national museum can’t be a one-way conversation

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Puawai Cairns, head of mātauranga Māori for Te Papa museum, writes about what biculturalism can and should mean in an institution like a museum.  “Institutional biculturalism is often applied like makeup: it can create the appearance desired by both the wearer and the viewer, while beneath the surface the ravages of time remain. In the … Read more

Museums are dangerous places: How Te Papa is challenging colonialist history

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How do museums learn to tell the truth about what they hold in order to become ‘decolonised archives’ asks Puawai Cairns, kaihāpai Mātauranga Māori at Te Papa. ‘Museums are dangerous places because they control the storytelling’ – Moana Jackson For the last few months, my curatorial team – Mātauranga Māori – has been meeting regularly to discuss … Read more