Canterbury Museum

The museum was founded in 1870, largely through the efforts of Julius von Haast, a geologist and explorer who served as its first director. The original building, designed by Benjamin Mountfort, is a fine example of Gothic Revival architecture and has been extended several times, with the most recent major addition completed in 1995. The museum is located in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, and its distinctive stone facade and turrets are a local landmark. The building was damaged in the 2010–2011 Christchurch earthquakes but has since been repaired and strengthened.

The museum's collections span natural history, including an extensive fossil collection and a large moa skeleton, as well as ethnographic material from the Pacific, Asia, and Africa. The Antarctic exhibition, featuring a replica of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's hut, is a major draw. The museum also holds significant Māori and Pacific taonga (treasures), and its colonial history galleries depict early settler life. Temporary exhibitions cover a wide range of topics, from ancient Egypt to contemporary art.

Beyond public displays, the museum conducts active research in fields such as paleontology, ornithology, and ethnology. Its research library and archives are open to scholars by appointment. The museum runs a robust education program for schools, offering curriculum-linked workshops and resources. It also collaborates with universities and other institutions on research projects, and its staff regularly publish in peer-reviewed journals.

The museum houses the world's largest collection of moa bones, including a complete skeleton of the giant moa (Dinornis robustus). It also holds a rare collection of 19th-century Māori artifacts, including a war canoe (waka taua) that is over 100 years old. The museum's taxidermy collection includes a specimen of the extinct huia bird. During the 2011 earthquake, the museum's collection was evacuated and stored in a temporary facility, and the building was used as a civil defence headquarters. The museum also has a small planetarium, which is one of only a few in New Zealand.

Moa

An extinct flightless bird endemic to New Zealand, some species of which were over 3 metres tall.

Taonga

A Māori term for treasured possessions, both tangible and intangible.

Waka taua

A Māori war canoe, often elaborately carved.