The Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its collections concentrate on New Zealand history, natural history, and military history.
The museum is also one of the most iconic Auckland buildings, constructed in the neo-classicist style, and sitting on a grassed plinth in the Auckland Domain, a large public park close to the Auckland CBD.
Auckland Museum's collections and exhibits began in 1852. In 1867 Aucklanders formed a learned society – the Auckland Philosophical Society, later the Auckland Institute. Within a few years the society merged with the museum and Auckland Institute and Museum was the organisation's name until 1996. Auckland War Memorial Museum was the name of the new building opened in 1929, but since 1996 was more commonly used for the institution as well. From 1991 to 2003 the museum's Maori name was Te Papa Whakahiku.