What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
Birthday Parties
Mission: Best birthday ever
Zip up a flight suit, grab your dog tags, and dive into a fully hosted birthday “mission”. From air & sea adventures for preschoolers to rescue and cadet challenges for older children. Our Programmes team runs the activities, the children get awesome photo moments (and party bags), and you can add catering through our café.
Book a birthday party
Latest Exhibition
Victory!
It is 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
Our Victory exhibition, upstairs in the atrium, marks this significant milestone in world history, and the story of the RNZAF.
Victory includes images and memories of Victory in Europe (VE) Day and Victory over Japan (VJ) Day which have been sourced from photographs, letters, postcards and personal histories in our collection.
Victory includes insights into how Kiwis celebrated, and how they felt.
Many found it difficult to rejoice after so much loss and suffering.
You’re welcome to come along and learn all about the end of World War Two with us.
Exhibition
The Mighty Hercules
The Mighty Hercules exhibition is on in the Cochrane Gallery upstairs in our atrium. Come and visit and learn all about this extraordinary aircraft.
Learn More
Update
Overseas visitor charge
A $15 entry charge was introduced for all international visitors to the Air Force Museum of New Zealand from 31 March 2025. Tickets available online or from our Welcome Desk on arrival.
The charge is required to cover rising costs and to contribute to our new $20 million extension to house the newest members of our collection – our historic Hercules and Orion aircraft.
Learn More
Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
ANZAC COUNTDOWN: We’re getting ready for Anzac Day with our annual Roll of Honour spring-clean (even though it is autumn!).
Our roll contains the names of more than 4,600 Kiwis who have lost their lives while in the service of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and Allied air forces.
Over the year the number of poppies placed on the wall grows as families visit to commemorate the sacrifice of their loved ones.
Each year, in the lead-up to 25 April, Amy and Bianca from our visitor experience team give the wall a spruce up and get the wall ready for the next wave of poppies.
We also field regular requests to place poppies on the wall for people who can’t make it here to Christchurch, and we’re happy to help.
If you loved one’s name is on our wall and you can’t make it this Anzac Day, don’t hesitate to get in touch at communications@airforcemuseum.co.nz and we will place a poppy for you.
Our Anzac Service will be held at 12pm on 25 April at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, 45 Harvard Avenue, Wigram, Christchurch.
#anzacday2026 #RSA ... See MoreSee Less
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Please would you put a poppy beside my 2 uncles who died in WW2. Walter John McGregor and Jack Dunlop McGregor. i am in Wellington and will not be down to honour them.
Could you please place poppys next to my 2 uncles who were killed in WW2. Denis Henry Edward's and Norman John Edward's. The brothers were from Hastings Hawkes Bay .
Please place a poppy beside my uncle 404073 Sgt JM Hall. I live in Canada and can’t be there. Thanks in advance.
Looking forward to visiting over ANZAC Weekend, to place a poppy on my Great Uncles name. Sgt Pilot JS Wilson, 75 Sqn RNZAF, WWII. Lest we Forget!
Over 46 hundred 🫡s…
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GREBE ALERT! Exciting news for fans of the Gloster Grebe.
We’re delighted to present a FREE talk at our museum from the team behind the project to build a reproduction of Gloster Grebe NZ501 next month.
On Saturday 11 April at 10am project backers Stephen Carruthers, Mike Marra and Anthony Galbraith will outline plans to recreate what is one of the most significant aircraft in New Zealand’s military aviation history.
Back in 1926 Sir Henry Wigram contributed £2500 to encourage the New Zealand Government to take aviation seriously. That donation resulted in the purchase of three Grebes for the defence of New Zealand.
NZ501 was the first to arrive at Wigram in February 1928, and it was the most advanced aircraft in the land back then.
One Grebe was destroyed in an accident in 1932, and the last two Grebes were retired in 1938, becoming instructional airframes. They were broken up in 1943.
This talk is FREE and on in our Theatre. No need to book.
Short Talk: The return of Gloster Grebe NZ501
Saturday 11 April 10am
#rnzaf #glostergrebe #glosteraircraft ... See MoreSee Less
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Nice work, Stephen James! It'll be nice to have a catch up soon, sadly I won't make the presentation.
CRASH OVER CHRISTCHURCH: One hundred years ago today, on 17 March 1926, Captain Frederick James 'Jim' Horrell and his passenger Lewis Martin Reid were killed when their Bristol Fighter crashed a short distance from an orphanage in Papanui, Christchurch.
Jim Horrell was a 34-year-old veteran of the Gallipoli campaign, who went on to become a Royal Flying Corps pilot.
Lewis Reid was a 22-year-old mess waiter, who was on the flight for a ride.
In a new blog, our Research Curator Simon Moody traces the story of the crash, and its significance as the first accident on home soil for our fledgling air force.
📰 Read all about it here: airforcemuseum.co.nz/blog/first-to-fall-100-years-after-the-loss-of-captain-jim-horrell/ ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Do you have any thoughts on where I might find information about the men in the group photo? I'm wondering if the H Smith is Herbert Henry Smith, known as Bert, born 1904, died 1986. Bert was my great grandfather's brother.