The world's largest collection of New Zealand and Southern Ocean fishes will soon have a new home after a $155m cash injection from the government.
Te Papa has signed off on the new Biodiversity Research Centre in Upper Hutt, which will house some 866,000 specimens when it opens in 2028.
Sometimes known as 'spirit collections' or 'wet collections', they include fish, invertebrates, reptiles and even rats, with the oldest discovery - a hoki caught in Wellington Harbour Te-Whanganui-a-Tara - dating back to 1869.
The building is designed for seismic resilience and sustainability and is crucial to New Zealand's scientific future.
Andrew Stewart is the Curator of Fishes at Te Papa with over forty years of experience at the museum.
