Te Papa Collections API

Version 1.5.5

The API to the collection data of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

curl 'https://data.tepapa.govt.nz/collection/search?q=Manuhiri' -H 'X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY'

More Information

• Pick an endpoint on the left to explore its details
• Try our legacy API browser - keyword search across types and collections, with whole records shown field by field
• Register for your own API key
• Paste your API key into the input field in the top-right corner to test the API directly from these documentation pages.
• See below and on Github for more documentation

Terms of Use

General Terms

By using this API, you agree to comply with these terms. The API provides access to collections data from Te Papa - the Museum of New Zealand. Unauthorized access attempts, disruption of service, or violation of intellectual property rights will result in revocation of access.

Data Usage Rights

• Metadata: All object metadata is released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
• Images: Image files and media retain their original licenses. Always check individual item records for licensing terms
• Attribution: When using data in public works, attribute to "Te Papa - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa"

Restrictions

• Do not use the API to bulk-download or mirror the entire collection without permission
• Do not use data for competing commercial collection products without a licensing agreement
• Respect rate limits and use caching to minimize server load

Liability

Te Papa provides this API "as is" without warranty. We are not liable for data accuracy, availability, or misuse. The service may be modified or discontinued at any time.

Full Terms of Use (PDF)

Resources

Each resource exposes its type, subtypes, and the inbound associations targetable via its /related sub-resource. Paths and methods are listed live from the running API.

Data Types

JSON shapes used in request bodies and responses.

Pagination & Results

• Default page size: 100 results
• Maximum page size: 10,000 results (1,000 in production)
• Query parameters: from (offset), size (limit)
• Scroll API: For large result sets, use GET /scroll to obtain a cursor and fetch pages sequentially

Content Types

• Default: application/json
• Linked Data: application/ld+json (supported on /object endpoints only)
• Request format: JSON request bodies must include Content-Type: application/json

Faceted Search

Search results include facets - aggregated counts of field values. Request specific facets with the facets parameter to narrow searches by category, era, object type, and more.

Hierarchical Resources

Place, Category, and Taxon resources support hierarchical queries. Use the /related endpoint to fetch descendants and their counts.

Error Handling

All errors return a JSON envelope with errorCode, developerMessage, and userMessage. The response includes a unique id for tracing in server logs. Common status codes:

• 400 - Invalid query or request body
• 401 - Authentication required
• 404 - Resource not found
• 422 - Pagination or scroll limit exceeded
• 500 - Server error

Rate Limiting

The API does not currently impose rate limits, but we reserve the right to introduce them. Please use the API responsibly.