The Auckland Museum Podcast

In 1916, a unique group of New Zealanders arrived in France – not to fight above ground, but deep below it. In this episode, we uncover the remarkable story of the New Zealand Tunnelling Company, the first of our people to reach the Western Front and whose war was fought in darkness, beneath the trenches.

The ocean has always been a place of wonder - vast, full of life, and essential to our survival. But pressures from human activity, pollution, and industrial fishing are unravelling its delicate food webs. In this episode of The Amp, we look at seabirds - the storytellers of the sea - as they are the ones sounding the alarm. 

From the late 1800s through to the early 1900s, part of Pukekawa Auckland Domain was home to a number of expansive and successful market gardens, including one run by the Ah Chee family. In this episode of The Amp, we discover how the Ah Chee market garden reflects the challenges and contributions of Chinese families in early Aotearoa.

The history of sport in New Zealand, isn’t all black and white. In this episode of The Amp, we put netball front and centre, tracing its journey from makeshift hoops to packed arenas. We chat with players, historians, and experts to settle the score on over a hundred years of netball in Aotearoa, and what makes it so much more than just a game.

When you think of the word diva, a few big names might come to mind. But in this episode, we dare our kaimahi to go into the archives and find us a forgotten diva. Someone who may not be a household name, but stood their ground, owned their talents, and left a lasting legacy -whether or not the world was watching.

In this episode of The Amp, we uncover the big secrets hidden in small change. Come with us into the collections as we look at rare coins and clever counterfeits, and learn what they can tell us about ancient economies, shifting political power, and the everyday lives of the people who spent them.

What do toilet doors, a ticket stub, and a choir gown have in common? They’re all clues to Aotearoa’s music legacy. Our curators collect more than just the hits - sometimes it’s the stuff you don’t see on stage that brings the history to life. In this episode of The Amp, we reveal the unexpected items that help us preserve the spirit of New Zealand's Music scenes.

As Auckland’s War Memorial Museum, Anzac Day is our most important day of the year. In this episode, find out how we get ready to welcome thousands and thousands of visitors for the Dawn Service, and what it means to us to continue this time-honoured tradition.

Archaeology, prehistoric megabirds, and lasers. In this episode of the Amp the ancient past meets the technology of the future, as we explore the world of 3D in all its Museum forms.

Ever wondered how Wikipedia works? Who edits it, and where does all the information come from? In this episode of The Amp, we’re lifting the lid on Wikipedia. Learn how the Museum has partnered with Wikipedia to get information out of our stores and onto the internet – where anyone can learn from it for free, wherever they are in the world.  

The Mummy in our Te Onamata Ancient Worlds gallery has come a long way from her home in Ancient Egypt, and on her journey she lost something really important - her name. In this episode of The Amp we hear the incredible tale of the work done to reunite the mummy with her identity. We also explore the ways we've acquired taonga from ancient Egypt, and what comes next as our role as kaitiaki evolves.