Te Papa deemed safe after evacuation over suspicious item

Emergency services on the scene at Te Papa. Photo / Jack Crossland

Wellington police say an item that triggered the evacuation of Te Papa has been deemed not to be suspicious.

A cordon was set up at the entrance to the museum with Fire and Emergency tape this afternoon. Several police cars and two fire engines were at the scene.

The building was evacuated as a precaution.

Te Papa in Wellington. Photo / file

Specialist police teams spent the afternoon searching the building.

But after completing their sweep, police said people can now return to the building.

"We thank the public for their patience while the incident was resolved."

Te Papa earlier tweeted the national museum was closed for the day and an update would be provided as soon as possible about the building's status for tomorrow.

The evacuation disrupted the Contractors Conference being held at Te Papa this week.

Te Papa is closed for the day after a suspicious item was found this afternoon. Specialist teams are still sweeping the building. We will update you as soon as we can about our status for tomorrow Friday. Our apologies for any inconvenience. Ngā mihi nui.

— Te Papa (@Te_Papa) July 29, 2021