Simon Gould, head of exhibitions at Motat, talks about the science and technology centre which incorporates Mātauranga Māori.
Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology, which last year was ranked as one of the most boring attractions in the world, has this year been awarded International Exhibition of the Year at the “Oscars of the museum world”.
Motat claimed the accolade at the 2025 Museum and Heritage Awards inLondon this month, winning the award for its Te Puawānanga science and learning centre, which was launched last year.
Simon Gould receiving the award for International Exhibition of the Year at the 2025 Museums and Heritage Awards in London. Photo / Hayley Bray Photography
The victory, surpassing lauded exhibitions such as the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, caught Simon Gould, head of exhibitions at Motat, off guard – but in the best possible way.
“It was just amazing to be there, and to be recognised in that sort of global situation,” Gould tells the Herald.
Split into three areas, Te Puawānanga weaves Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge system) into its foundation, aiming to “radically redefine” the way children engage with science and technology.
The “hands-on, minds-on” interactive space encourages children and families to “get excited” about science and technology, says Gould. “It’s colourful, vibrant and energetic”.
But what uniquely stood out to judges was Motat’s bicultural approach.
“This outstanding exhibition seamlessly blends science and Māori culture, creating a vibrant, culturally connected space for young audiences,” the judges said.
“With impressive visitor impact and strong evaluation outcomes, it sets a new benchmark for inclusive, engaging STEAM [science, technology, engineering, arts and maths] experiences.”
Gould says that if children aren’t interested in science and technology by the age of 12, then they are unlikely to ever work in those fields.
The centre aims to help kids and families feel excited about science and technology. Photo / Motat
“So part of our job is to support the teaching industry to get that early enthusiasm,” he says, adding that Motat has welcomed more than 248,000 visitors and 23,000 school students over the past year, which the judges responded to.
On why it was important to weave Mātauranga Māori and science, Gould’s response is simple: “Because we live here and it’s of this place.
“You can’t separate the two, really. They aren’t the same, and they’re not in competition with each other, but they’re both about the world around us,” Gould says.
“If we want our tamariki to be excited about science and technology in our centre, then it will be problematic not to ... have both of these knowledge systems in the same space.”
An animated film called Interconnected at the centre demonstrates how the two knowledge systems are expressed.
“It’s primarily about the carbon cycle, but it’s actually about a reminder to us that we are nature,” explains Gould.
“Carbon is us, carbon is in things that we make, that humans make, carbon is in the trees and everything around us.
Gould says, while he thinks locally, doing so means it can be hard to see what you’re doing right, so having a global perspective helps.
“When we’re here, we can see the things that we’re not doing and we often talk about that or we’re impatient to be further along the line than we are, which is all good because it helps keep us on our toes.
“But when you get that global lens, they can see ... [for example] from a British point of view or an Australian point of view or an American point of view, we’re actually doing it really well,” he said.
Last March, one study found Motat to be one of the most boring attractions in the world, ranking 54 out of 100, after analysing 3841 Google reviews on tourist attractions across 384 cities.
Te Puawānanga was Motat’s largest investment in more than a decade, costing the museum around $7.4 million. It has previously won accolades at New Zealand’s Best Design Awards and Resene Total Colour Awards.
