Sustainability

We will work with our staff and volunteers to better understand and quantify the carbon impact of our work, and to develop and adopt more sustainable ways of working. By creating a strong culture of sustainability, we will raise and maintain awareness and provide the necessary resources and training to deliver long-lasting change. Our Green Team members are the cross-organisational green champions from within our Museum whānau (family) who will help share and promote best practices and information. We will inspire and engage our people to act for sustainability by encouraging active participation, at work and home.

We have an active commitment to reducing our environmental footprint and the impact of how we deliver our activities and operate our buildings.

We will reduce the negative environmental impact of how we deliver our activities and operate our buildings, targeting a 60% reduction for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, and net zero by 2050. We will substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. We will adopt sustainable travel, business and building practices. As we look ahead to a staged renewal of galleries, we will future-proof the infrastructure that supports our collections and visitor experience.

As institutions of education, museums provide inclusive quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. As a trusted civic leader and source of information, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum will promote public awareness about the effects of climate change and the need for action to achieve environmental sustainability. We embrace our role in promoting awareness and conservation of the cultural and natural heritage through our exhibitions, education and activities.

The period 2020 to 2030 has been set out as a decade of action: global action, local action and people’s action. Museums have always played an important role in creating spaces for people to debate, learn and share ideas. We will engage our public to ensure they understand how they can best contribute at a personal level and become agents of change.

Everyone has the right to freely participate in the cultural life of the community. Tāmaki Paenga Hira will continue to provide free general admission for all Aucklanders to enable cultural participation. We provide an open and permissive approach to our online audiences globally. Tāmaki Paenga Hira is a safe, inclusive and accessible public space that contributes to building strong, socially cohesive and sustainable communities in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, strengthening civic engagement and community participation.

Sustainability is at the heart of the work museums undertake.

Museums have a key role in protecting and safeguarding the world’s cultural and natural heritage. We are a repository for tangible cultural heritage such as our iconic Grade 3 heritage building and the taonga and collections for which we are a kaitiaki, and intangible cultural heritage such as the knowledge behind them. Our collections provide a rich resource for creating knowledge and understanding.