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
ORION OR AURORA? Brigadier General Brendan Cook of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) dropped by the other day and made a beeline for our P-3 Orion – the aircraft he loves!
Brendan has been in the RCAF for more than 30 years and clocked up 1800 hours as a navigator/air combat systems operator during a 10-year flying career in RCAF CP-140 Auroras.
Lockheed Auroras are the Canadian version of our now retired Lockheed Orions. The aircraft are still the backbone of Canada’s long-range surveillance and patrol capability.
His RCAF career began in the early 1990s, when Auroras were still fairly new.
Auroras entered service in Canada in 1980, so are much younger than our mid-1960s- era Orions.
“They’re incredibly capable aircraft and they’re still doing a great job,’’ Brendan says. “During the 1990s, when we were operating them alongside our allies like the RNZAF, there was a real golden age of interoperability.
“We were always interested to see what innovations the Kiwis brought with them, and we adopted some of the things the RNZAF did.’’
Canada's Auroras will be retired in 2028, replaced by Boeing P-8 Poseidons.
“I’ll be sad to see them retire,’’ Brendan says. “There’s a whole lot of comradeship and skill in operating these aircraft which I’ll always remember. Hopefully, with the Poseidons we can get back to those days again.’’
As well as working with Kiwis over many years during his RCAF career, Brendan has another important New Zealand connection – he’s 50% Kiwi.
His father Alan Cook was born in Christchurch and studied electrical engineering at Canterbury University. Alan went on to study in Manchester where he met his wife, and the couple returned to New Zealand briefly before emigrating permanently to Canada in 1968.
Brendan has heard all about New Zealand his whole life, but this was his first visit to meet his cousins and see all the places his father talked about.
Welcome home Brendan!
#rcaf #lockheedaurora #lockheedorion ... See MoreSee Less
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OPERATION FIREDOG: On 1 May 1955, No. 14 Squadron launched the RNZAF’s first operational strike since World War Two when Kiwi pilots took part in an attack on communist guerrilla forces during the Malayan Emergency.
The squadron was based at RAF Station Tengah in Singapore and flew de Havilland Venom fighter bombers during the raid. Flight Lieutenant Stuart McIntyre led the Venoms in an attack on guerrilla forces fighting for independence from British colonial rule.
It was the first of many attacks. No. 14 Squadron was deployed to Tengah until May 1958.
Over that time the squadron had dropped some 225,000 kilograms of bombs and fired over 1500 rockets at enemy targets.
Malaya was granted independence from Britain in 1957 and the Malayan Emergency ended in 1960 when the communist forces were largely defeated.
The Venoms had been loaned to the RNZAF by the RAF, and they were returned.
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When NZ had a strike wing before Aunty Helen stuffed us.
He was a Group Captain when I knew him. A good bloke!
The CTs where fighting for communist reasons
RNZAF Hero
MOSQUITO RESCUE: We've teamed up with the Ferrymead Aeronautical Society to share resources to speed up the restoration of a unique RNZAF de Havilland Mosquito.
For the past 26 years the aeronautical society has been working on the restoration of Mosquito HR339/NZ2382 at its Ferrymead Heritage Park site in Christchurch, but some parts have been scarce.
In a new heritage collaboration, the Air Force Museum agreed to open up its stores of Mosquito parts to the restoration team at Ferrymead, providing a treasure trove of much needed spares for the project which restorer Dag Guest described as a 'gamechanger'.
From the museum's perspective, Collections Manager Darren Hammond says the collaboration was a collective effort to save an incredibly rare and significant aircraft which will remain in public ownership in New Zealand as part of our military aviation heritage.
Read more here: airforcemuseum.co.nz/blog/unique-heritage-rescue-mission#ferrymeadaviationsocietyy#RNZAFi#dehavillandmosquito#dehavillandmosquito ... See MoreSee Less
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Excellent news!
Go Team! Good news all round, kudos to all who made this happen ;-)
Tremendous news, a great collaborative effort!
Cooperation is the key. Well done to all involved.
Fantastic partnership that will help realise a long term goal for all to enjoy! Daggy will likely see it finished before his retirement! 🤭🛬
What excellent news, bravo!
A great collaboration and what museums should do, help others when they can.
Ka rawe! We visited this in the workshop at Ferrymead on a museum trip around the motu after the MA leadership summit last October, have photos of their restoration 😀
What fantastic news! As Dag said, that’s a game changer. A big thanks to the RNZAF Museum for having the vision and recognising the huge effort the Ferrymead Historical Society volunteers have made. Just brilliant. 👍
That is fantastic news and great for both organisations. Well done team.
Such a wonderful change in policy… days gone by it wasn’t like this well done Air Force Museum
When we lived in the UK their was a radio interview with a guy on the Isle of Wight who was either restoring a Mosquito or having one transported to NZ for restoration but there was a definite Kiwi connection.
Thats awesome news!!
Excellent news. Well done to all involved 👏
Ferrymead is not the place for the Mosquito, it should be in the Airforce Museum of New Zealand. John McCormick
Makes sense to display it at Wigram too...
Will it be static only or like Omakas one
What a great outcome I've visited this museum and been in the Mossie, the access they gave me years ago would make other museums blush! I hope they can now complete this project. I also hope Australian museums take heed, for too long some (including official ones) have taken but given little in return. Some had the bright idea to destroy items which were duplicated in their collections. I'm not going to argue because it's true. This Mosquito project signifies the only way preservation as a movement can move forwards.
I saw that frame at Ferrymead maybe 30 years ago, the main spar made of wood was cut through with a chainsaw, absolute crime.
Do you have anymore pictures of the Air Force museum Mosquitoes? Much left of them?
Can you also help with their Westland Wessex? Years ago I was speaking to one of the guys out there who said they discovered it was from Stanley Kubrick's FMJ. I would love to see that restored one day. Please? 🤔😅
Well done NZ Air Force Museum 👏
Claudine'nJohn Obelnicki McCormick why? Ferrymead have a great collection and a hard working team getting on with it. As the museum said they havent the resources or the time yo rebuild a Mosquito.
That is excellent news. Well done!
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