MOTAT’s Te Puawānanga Science And Technology Centre Shortlisted For International Exhibition Of The Year

For the second year in a row, Auckland’s MOTAT (Museum and Transport and Technology) is shortlisted for an International Museums + Heritage Award – dubbed the Oscars of the museum world.

In 2024, immersive experience Te Kōtiu, a multimedia projection telling the Aotearoa New Zealand story of flight, won the Best Use of Digital – International category, getting the nod ahead of Notre-Dame de Paris and Trinity College, Dublin.

Now this year, Te Puawānanga Science and Technology Centre is in the running for International Exhibition of the Year, alongside five other museums including the Grand Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and The Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle.

The global awards celebrate the very best in the world of museums, galleries, and cultural and heritage visitor attractions around the world and the ceremony to reveal the winners takes place in London on Thursday 15 May.

Museums + Heritage Awards Director Anna Preedy said: “This year’s shortlist truly reflects the breadth and depth of the cultural sector and its determination to deliver first-class visitor experiences for all. We have organisations of all shapes and sizes represented from all corners of the globe”

The two-year development and build of Te Puawānanga began with research and collaboration with a wide range of education, and science and technology knowledge holders, including Mātauranga Māori experts, and science museums around the world. It was MOTAT’s largest investment in exhibition space in a decade and opened in late May last year following a blessing by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. The centre has delighted and inspired visitors ever since, with its spaces for all ages and myriad visual and interactive experiences.

The Museums + Heritage shortlisting is the latest accolade in a slew of awards for the centre this year. At the New Zealand Best Design Awards, it won two gold pins and one silver for design and use of colour and the centre’s Energy Machine won gold for Digital Installation. This month it was also awarded the 2024/2025 Resene Total Colour Installation – Experiential – Product Award.

MOTAT’s Director, Museum Experience, Sally Manuireva said: “We are so thrilled and proud to be shortlisted for this award. Congratulations to the incredible team of MOTAT staff, external suppliers and contractors, and advisors who developed Te Puawānanga, from the ground up, to remove barriers for young learners in engaging with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) learning and pursued MOTAT’s mission to educate and inspire the innovators of tomorrow.

“Schools and families tell us we have succeeded in creating a thoughtful, rigorous and playful environment that meets their needs. To be acknowledged by the prestigious Museums + Heritage Awards is further affirmation we have achieved our goal and is very rewarding.

“We’d like to acknowledge the partners and supporters who have helped to bring Te Puawānanga to life: Science Alive, Te Whai Ao Dodd-Walls Centre, Auckland Council, Tātaki Auckland, the NZ Lottery Grants Board, the David and Genevieve Becroft Foundation, Autex Acoustics and Jacobsen.”

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