Primary Programmes

To protect against the risk of Covid-19, Museums Wellington has made the decision to stop school visits and bookings until further notice.  We’ll review this towards the end of April.  If you have a booking before the 28th of April we’ll be in touch to reschedule your visit for later in the year or arranging a refund if you have already paid your deposit. We understand this may be disappointing but in the interests of minimising the spread of Covid-19 we feel this is the best action to take. 

Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui. Be strong, be brave, be steadfast. 

We take the health and welfare of our visitors and teams very seriously – our latest Covid-19 update can be found here. We will provide updates as new information comes to hand. 

Please get in touch with our Education team AlisonW@experiencewellington.org.nz if you need any further advice or would like to discuss your booking further.

 

Contact our team to discuss your requirements and any questions you may have for your next visit. Please note that charges apply for all our education programmes.

Museum Highlights

Wellington Museum

Museum Highlights

Can be adapted to suit all year levels. The Wellington Museum Highlights concentrates on our most interactive areas of the museum, The Attic and the Maritime Floor and includes one Audio Visual of choice. This 1-hour programme makes time for a few select top Wellington stories based on either People, Place or Action depending on your focus and is supported by an age-appropriate discovery trail.

This visit is ​$2​ per student (adults ​free).

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Head of the Fish/Te Ūpoko o Te Ika Our

Head of the Fish/Te Ūpoko o Te Ika Our

Wellington's people, places, and history

Our Head of the Fish/Te Ūpoko o Te Ika programme invites students to get to know their capital city and Wellington region better: its people, places, and history. Suitable for regional schools and also for those coming to Wellington for a capital city experience.

Years 1 – 4

This programme introduces students to place names and early migration stories. Students learn about further migrations and celebrate the different contributions of many influences over time to the Wellington region.

Key words: Maui, Kupe, Te Wheke, Ngake and Whataitai, early migration, harbour, tangata whenua, colonization, Captain Cook, capital city, leadership, citizenship, Kiwiana, identity, Wellington region, local stories

Years 3 – 4

This programme invites students to discover the meanings behind place names, hear early Polynesian migration stories, learn about the impact of further migrations and celebrate the different contributions of many influences over time to the Wellington region.

Key words: Maui, Kupe, Te Wheke, Ngake and Whataitai, early migration, harbour, tangata whenua, colonization, Captain Cook, capital city, leadership, citizenship, Kiwiana, identity, Wellington region, New Zealand Company, local stories, Matiu/Somes Island, internment camp

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A place to call home

Place to Call Home

Waves of Migration

Years 1 – 4

Our Place to Call Home programme introduces students to migration stories through museum exhibits. Students learn about the journey, arrival and settlement of people over time, explore how groups of people have come to live and work together and celebrate Wellington’s diverse society.

Key words: waves of migration, diversity, journeys, society, belonging, contribution, people and place

Years 5 – 8

This programme invites students to explore how early Polynesian, early British and modern migrations to New Zealand have continuing significance to New Zealand’s society.

Key words: tangata whenua, New Zealand Company, Whina Cooper, 1975 hīkoi, Te tiriti o Waitangi

This visit is ​$3​ per student (adults ​free)

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Streams and stormwater

Streams and Stormwater

Hidden streams of Wellington

Years 5 – 6

This programme gives students the opportunity to discover hidden streams of Wellington and use museum exhibits to get an understanding of the impact of urbanisation on wildlife and communities. The programme includes an outdoor component and some simple science. Field work includes visiting Kumutoto Stream and Wellington Harbour.

Key words: Wellington Harbour, kaitiakitanga, guardianship,hiddenstreams,tangatawhenua, kai moana, long fin eels, urbanisation, permeable and impermeable surfaces, kumutoto stream, land reclamation

This visit is ​$3​ per student (adults ​free).

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Wahine Disaster

Te Waka Wahine

Wahine Diaster

Years 6 – 13

The sinking of the Lyttelton–Wellington ferry Wahine on 10 April 1968 was New Zealand’s worst modern maritime disaster. The programme invites students to examine cause and effects as well as the significance of this tragedy through artefacts, audiovisual links, stories from survivors and ethical perspectives.

Key words: Wahine disaster, cause and effect, cyclone Giselle,CookStrait,lifejacket,rugged coasts, survivor stories, maritime history

This visit is ​$3​ per student (adults ​free).

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Suffrage

Small steps big changes

Changemakers

Years 5 – 6

This programme invites students to gain an insight into how people make positive changes and contributions to society by hearing stories of ​changemakers told through museum exhibits.

This visit is ​$3​ per student (adults ​free).

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The World Around Us

The World Around Us

Explore the Earth, Sun and Moon

Years 1–4 (Levels 1–2)

Explore the Earth, Sun and Moon, including day and night, the rotation of the Earth and the changing phases of the Moon. This programme can be tailored to complement your class programme. The planetarium show Tilt works well with this programme.

  • $7.50 per student
  • $7.50 per adult helper
  • One teacher or adult helper per ten students is free
  • Teacher aides are free

 

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Space Place

Seasons, Shadows and Cycles

How shadows change

Years 3–8 (Levels 2–4)

Study how shadows change. Whether it be daily or yearly, shadows relate to seasons and time. Learn how shadows affect our day-to-day life.  The planetarium show Tilt works well with this programme.

  • $7.50 per student
  • $7.50 per adult helper
  • One teacher or adult helper per ten students is free
  • Teacher aides are free

 

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Explore the solar system

Explore the Solar System

Planets of the Solar System

Years 5–10+ (Levels 2–5+)

You’ll begin with the Earth, Sun and Moon, before setting off to explore the planets of the Solar System and the relationships between them all. The planetarium show Dynamic Earth and We Are Astronomers works well with this programme.

  • $7.50 per student
  • $7.50 per adult helper
  • One teacher or adult helper per ten students is free
  • Teacher aides are free

 

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Solar System and Beyond

Solar System and Beyond

Interactive tour of Space

Years 5–10+ (Levels 2–5+)

Fly through our Solar System, find out what galaxies are and see the Hubble Deep Sky Field during this special interactive tour number limitations apply). This is an interactive tour, with video snippets and gallery challenges. It’s a perfect introduction to Space and for students on School Camps to Wellington.

  • $7.50 per student
  • $7.50 per adult helper
  • One teacher or adult helper per ten students is free
  • Teacher aides are free

 

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Cable Car Museum

The Wellington Cable Car

Look into the city’s past and present changes in technology

Years 5–8 (Levels 1–4)

Look into the city’s past and present changes in technology, and how the Wellington Cable Car has played a big part in how the city has developed. 

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Nairn Street Cottage

Nairn Street Cottage

Home of the Wallis family

This programme invites students into the home of the Wallis family, the oldest remaining home of its kind in Wellington. Students will hear the family’s arrival story and are able to participate in a guided visit of the cottage. As students move through the cottage they travel through different eras represented by artifacts from three generations who have lived in the home over time. Students are invited to appreciate and understand how social and technological changes affect people.

Years 3 – 4

Students will be able to learn about the difference between past and present living conditions of families. They will be able to find out about the daily routines of families and their children and how these have changed over time.

This visit is ​$4​ per student (adults ​free)

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Collaborations with our other sites

We offer collaborative education programmes between Cable Car Museum, Space Place and Wellington Museum. These are ​full-day programmes. More information on timings on enquiry with the education team.

Astronomical Cycles and Timescales

Star Path – A magical exploration of navigation, journeys, and arrivals

With Wellington Museum and Space Place

Years 5 – 8

Embark on a journey of discovery, focusing on the opportunities and challenges of exploration and navigation, from the early Polynesian way-finders to the satellite technology that we use today. In this joint venture between Space Place and Wellington Museum, students learn how to identify constellations in the southern skies and find out about the incredible navigational techniques and tools of adventurers who crossed the Pacific Ocean to settle in Aotearoa.

This visit is ​$13.00 per student, including entry to both Space Place and Wellington Museum and a one-way trip on the Wellington Cable Car. Adults ​$2.50​ for a one-way Cable Car ride.

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Maritime

Treasure Island

With Wellington Museum, Department of Conservation and East by West Ferries

Year 5 and up

This programme begins with a visit to Wellington Museum where students find out about the many facets of our harbour, the beautiful, the prosperous and the hidden. They then set sail to Matiu/Somes Island by ferry and continue discovering more of the diverse roles of our harbour in the past and present.

This visit is ​$16 ​per student and ​$13​ per adult. Includes ferry trip to Matiu Island (return).

Option to book a guided tour with a DOC forest ranger on Matiu/Somes Island for an additional charge of ​$2​. Must be arranged with DOC.

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Harbour

Harbour and Hills​

With Wellington Museum and Cable Car

Years 3 – 8

This programme introduces students to stories of our harbour, from its creation (Ngake and Whataitai) to its uses over time and its special place in the center of New Zealand. The programme continues with a ride on the Cable Car, an appreciation of the view at the top and finishes with a visit to the Cable Car Museum. Students are introduced to many stories around the history of the Cable Car, from the planning process to the first rides to a little girl who helped her engineer father clear the way before blasting through the rocks to construct the tunnels and many more. Students are invited to climb aboard the original Cable Car in style – with our dress ups.

This visit includes visit to Wellington Museum, Cable Car Museum and Cable Car fare.

Single Trip ​$6.00​ per student and ​$2.50​ per adult, OR Return Trip ​$8.00​ per student and ​$4.50​ per adult.

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Cable Car Wheel House

Newfangled

With Wellington Museum and Cable Car Museum

Years 5 – 10

This programme introduces students to objects and stories in our collection relating to revolutionary technologies and inventions straight out of Wellington. Students will be able to explore, name, identify and critique products invented by Wellingtonians for the use in Wellington’s characteristic weather and its natural as well as cultural environment. The programme continues with a one-way cable car ride and a visit to the Cable Car Museum. 

This visit includes visit to Wellington Museum, Cable Car Museum and Cable Car fare.

Single Trip ​$6.00​ per student and ​$2.50​ per adult, OR Return Trip ​$8.00​ per student and ​$4.50​ per adult.

Key words: design project, invention, testing, prototypes, design brief, materials, target audience, purpose, design objectives, technological practice, technological knowledge, characteristics of technology.

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Resources

 

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