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
MALL TIGER!: RNZAF de Havilland Tiger Moth NZ825 has a new temporary home in Christchurch.
The retired biplane is taking centre stage at Westfield Riccarton as a reminder of the service and sacrifice of thousands of New Zealanders in the lead-up to this year's Anzac Day.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force operated 335 Tiger Moths between 1939 and 1956, and these simple but robust little trainers played helped prepare the more than 7000 Kiwi pilots who headed overseas to fight in World War Two.
The aircraft were in such strong demand that de Havilland set up factories in New Zealand and Australia to build them, making them an Anzac aircraft.
Huge thanks to Westfield Riccarton for donating us the space to tell our Anzac story in such a fantastic way - NZ825 hasn't been out in the wild for a year or two.
Even bigger thanks to our museum team - Zach, PJ, Jim, Barf, Raz, Alan and Darren for going the extra mile to install the aircraft after hours.
It was a bit of a squeeze, as you can see, but NZ825 looks brilliant in its new home away from home.
Please come along and have a look at this plucky little yellow aircraft, and learn its#dehavillandtigermothd#ANZACDay2026zacday2026 ... See MoreSee Less
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Amazing. You don't see many planes in malls ;)
Thats awesome team!! Well done!
Dāvīd Błāñçhārd
Mike Dodge
Well done team effort 👌
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IS THAT A TIGER MOTH AT SOCKBURN ROUNDABOUT?: Operation Anzac Tiger is in full swing.
Our de Havilland Tiger Moth has successfully navigated the Sockburn roundabout (thanks Neil from Parks) and is safely at its destination.
We’re moving RNZAF Tiger Moth NZ825 to a new location for a few weeks to commemorate the thousands of Kiwi aviators who learned to fly in Tiger Moths before heading off to the war In Europe, North Africa, South-east Asia and the Pacific.
We’ll send pictures and details of its new home once it is safely in place and all put back together later tonight.
#canterburyplanespotters #dehavillandtigermoth #tiger ... See MoreSee Less
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Not far now , you'll be at Westfield soon.
Mike Dodge
CANBERRA KEITH: Some people travel a long way to see our aircraft – this week’s record belongs to Keith Griffith from Brisbane.
He was here with a special request to see our English Electric Canberra – which took him straight back to his service in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Vietnam.
Keith joined the RAAF in 1969 as a 17-year-old aircraft instrument fitter and served for seven years.
He was posted to No. 2 Squadron in Vietnam, looking after Canberras, and, as far as we can tell, he is more than likely to have worked on ours.
Working on the Canberras was a joy, Keith says.
“They were a lovely airplane to work on and to fly in as well. They were incredibly reliable – the Avon engines were flawless.’’
Keith’s time in the RAAF set him up for a long career, and looking back, he thinks he probably should have stayed longer.
Our Canberra - A84-240 - is an Australian-produced version of the B. Mk.2 and was made at the Government Aircraft Factory, Fisherman’s Bend, Melbourne. It served in Vietnam, where it suffered battle damage and was repaired at Butterworth in Northern Malaysia. A84-240 also served at Amberley and for two short terms with the Aircraft Research and Development Unit.
It was gifted to us and flew to New Zealand in 1984 with a total of 6,515 flying hours on the clock. The RNZAF operated 13 Canberras between 1959 and 1970 - but they were sold overseas, so our Aussie mates gave us one of theirs.
The picture shows A84-240 being escorted to Wigram by a Skyhawk.
Thanks for visiting Anzac cousin Keith! ... See MoreSee Less
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I was on 2 Sqn at Ohakea 1986-87. One of the jobs 2 Sqn's techos was asked to do then was to spend a few weeks at the new Wigram museum. Our task, to assemble the single seat and two seat RNZAF Vampires fresh from being painted. The single seat to hang in the atrium, and the two seater for the main hangar space. The main hangar was completely empty, nothing - but the Aussie Canberra tucked away in a corner of the hangar. So effectively the first aircraft to be on display in the new Wigram buildings. Then, four years later as a new Cpl Armaments Fitter, I was selected to go to Italy to learn about the new Aermacchi MB339's ejection seat systems. Four Armourers, four Aircraft, two S+S, and four Avionics Techos were assigned to complete an Instructors Techniques Course before flying to Italy - Venegono and Varese, for training. During this course in the rooms of the new Wigram museum, a new addition to the Wigram museum aircraft stock, was the RAF Canberra saved from a scrappy yard in England, after its last flight from Germany. I managed to have a quick look in the cockpit, and its Martin Baker ejection seat. It now is wonderfully displayed in the NZ Warbirds hangar in Ardmore - where our 75 Squadron NZ Assn Reunion will be held this October. There are several Canberra crew still around that flew the on loan RAF Canberra's from Tengah in the RNZAF 75 Sqn in the late 1950's.
I recall a Canberra flying over my rural primary school in Tauranga one afternoon back in the late 1950s-early ‘60s. It made a big impression, as did a flyover by an RAF (I presume) Vulcan bomber. That was back in the days when we were subjected to horrifying propaganda movies about the aftermath of nuclear bomb attacks etc.
Keith Im Bob's wife he came home and told me all about you! You're just a lovely amazing man!
I may be wrong but I think the aircraft escorting the Canberra was flown by John Lanham. Great shot 👍
What a lovely guy to talk too,nice write up David
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